Rumors have been circling all summer that the Warriors wanted Malcolm Brogdon as veteran depth, and those whispers never looked stronger than when insiders put him squarely on Golden State’s radar. The team has been hamstrung all offseason by a contract standoff with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, and that deadlock has left the Warriors unable to finalize signings while training camp nears. As one analyst noted about the Brogdon chase, “In Brogdon’s case, Golden State’s long-running stalemate with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has contributed to the uncomfortable wait”. Well, a recent development has Dub Nation fuming.

Golden State’s logjam is more than rumor math because the club remains one of the only teams yet to add a free agent, and veterans linked to the Dubs have been left in limbo. Reporters say Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II were all anticipated fits but could not officially sign until the Kuminga picture cleared, and online reports described some veterans as “quietly pleading for clarity”. The stalemate has a clock on it because Kuminga can accept a one-year qualifying offer worth about seven point nine million dollars before an October 1st deadline.

Then the offseason took another turn when Shams Charania posted the Brogdon update on X and removed one option from Golden State’s wishlist. “Free agent guard Malcolm Brogdon has agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, agent Sam Permut of Roc Nation tells ESPN.”. Brogdon’s deal gives New York backcourt depth, and his 2024-25 season numbers of 12.7 points and 4.1 assists per game make him a clear veteran upgrade that the Warriors will now have to watch in a Knicks uniform.

That loss is huge because Brogdon was a targeted veteran who could stabilize minutes behind Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, and league-wide reporting ties his decision directly to Golden State’s stalled business. The Golden State Warriors offered Kuminga a two-year, forty-five million dollar proposal that included a team option, while the qualifying offer on the table sits at roughly 7.9 million dollars. But Kuminga’s preference for control could force him to bet on himself. If Kuminga accepts the qualifying offer, he gains no-trade protection for the season and could test unrestricted free agency next summer, which complicates Golden State’s trade leverage and short-term roster building.

Dub Nation is growing impatient because every missed signing chips away at what could be Stephen Curry’s title window. And the front office is taking the heat for letting negotiations drag into September. Social posts and talk radio are full of fans pointing to Brogdon as the latest example of a lost opportunity. And with training camp looming, the pressure on coach Steve Kerr and ownership to resolve the Kuminga situation only increases. The Malcolm Brogdon development sent a fresh surge of tweets and comments that now shape the conversation around how fans view the organization and its next moves.

Dub Nation’s frustration boils over

Online sentiment turned quickly to frustration as supporters tried to square Golden State’s inactivity with their championship expectations, and some fans framed the Brogdon miss as part of a pattern. “Can’t wait for the Warriors to miss out on Horford and whoever next” captured the worry that more targets will slip away, and that line echoes the specific holdups tied to the Kuminga stalemate. Another fan chimed in with a different angle on value and opportunity by saying, “Brogdon type players on vet min deals are steals in my opinion,” which highlights why losing a floor spacing veteran matters to a team that needs reliable backup playmaking.

Other posts mixed anger and resignation as the front office continued to juggle cap math and leverage moves. And the tone on message boards grew sharper after the Brogdon update. “Another one bites the dust. Would’ve been a great pickup for the Warriors, but no surprise everyone ain’t willing to wait till after training camp start just to get signed. Warriors have truly lost the plot with this Kuminga shit”. That eruption reflects fans fed up with uncertainty and unwilling to accept more delay.

A separate reaction simply summed up the moment with a short verdict, “Nice. Worst offseason in the world continues. Joe Lacob the worst in the business”. This underlines how ownership decisions are being personally judged.

Some accounts offered neutral takes while still noting the tangible loss of depth. And those voices framed the Brogdon signing as a clear competitive setback. “Golden State Warriors were keen on him; loss for the Dubs…” points to reporting that Brogdon was on the Warriors’ list and treats the Knicks signing as a missed landing.

Another fan stressed the strategic cost of inaction by observing, “This is the price the Warriors will pay for not resolving business: vets go to other teams while the Warriors and Kuminga are in a stalemate”. This ties the roster consequence back to the single unresolved contract. The final reaction summed it plainly as a roster shortfall when someone wrote, “Warriors lose one of the rumored vets they were coveting”.