With training camp creeping up and Golden State still short on bodies, the Jonathan Kuminga saga has turned into the story of the summer for Dub Nation. The Warriors officially have nine players under contract and have not completed the kind of veteran signings fans expected as they continue to find a solution to the Kuminga-shaped problem. With two offers on the table that limit the player’s influence over his own future, the saga has dragged on without a potential solution for the entire offseason.

The equation is simple. The Warriors have offered him a one-year, qualifying offer of $7.9 million and a two-year $45 million deal that does away with his no-trade clause. However, the player, reportedly left disillusioned with the Warriors’ plans, has stood firm. Now however, news about a third offer has made the rounds which may as well finally bring the saga to a conclusion.

Then the social feeds lit up with a fresh update when Underdog NBA posted an update that put the ongoing negotiations back on the front page. “Jonathan Kuminga updates: Warriors increased offer to 3 year, 75.2 million with team option. Kuminga’s camp wants player option; willing to take 20 million per year range for it. Warriors view player option as nonstarter. Kuminga’s camp countered with 1 year souped up version of qualifying offer; Warriors declined”. That summary, amplified by league insiders, basically explains why both sides remain dug in and why October first has a hard deadline feel to it.

Kuminga knows that the Warriors’ most major concern is losing a valuable asset like him for peanuts. The franchise has given no indication of actually committing to him and giving him an important role on the roster. The player was initially known to be holding out for the no-trade clause that would have given him a say over his future. The Warriors were known to be wanting to remove it, with all signs suggesting that they would be willing to move him on to the highest bidder.

However, in this new scenario, it appears as though the problem is the team-option for the third year, with Kuminga now holding out for a player option that will avoid the Warriors keeping him on for an extra season while shopping him around the league. The situation is simple. Kuminga knows that signing with the Warriors will eventually lead to them trading him simply because he has not been able to nail down a starting role under Steve Kerr. Despite the Warriors receiving sign-and-trade offers from multiple teams, they have stayed put this offseason simply because they know they will get more value if Kuminga ends up signing an extension.

As things stand, this tug-of-war may have evolved into one with slightly different demands from either side. However, the intention remains the same. Kuminga is willing to reduce his salary to the $20 million a year range  if he gets the player-option for the third year, which gives him a lot of control and leverage over his future. The Warriors however, do not see Kuminga as a long-term piece which means that their aim from this extension is to ensure they are able to get the right value for the player while ensuring that they make the improvements they have put on hold all offseason.

Amid all of that official business the Warriors went to social for what they intended to be a short celebration and it did not land the way they planned. The team posted “Happiest of birthdays to our General Manager, Mike Dunleavy” with a birthday image, and that simple cheer quickly gathered replies that used the moment to voice frustration about the stalled offseason. The contrast was stark. A GM birthday post is light and routine, but in the current climate fans read it through the lens of a front office that has not yet closed the deals many expected.

Fans react to the birthday post

A few replies read like direct calls to action wrapped in sarcasm and impatience. One fan used the birthday moment to push for a concrete signing, writing “today’s a good time to sign Al Horford.” Another fan shot back on the same thread “Not on Lacob and Kuminga’s watch”, a reply that references owner Joe Lacob’s personal meeting with Kuminga and the public nature of these negotiations. Kuminga had reportedly refused to sign even after an urgent meeting on August 11 last month which was attended by Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy.

Other messages went straight for the front office with blunt criticism and no sugar coating. A reply labeled the GM the worst in the league, writing “Worst GM in the NBA. You couldn’t even handle the Kuminga situation”. The reaction is understandable. The Warriors need immediate improvements and depth, and the front office has allowed one player’s situation to completely handicap their offseason, and well, the clock is ticking.

That sentiment captures a wider view across message boards that the stalemate has produced real roster friction. A follow up comment in the same thread addressed the birthday post directly saying “This year, for your birthday, you get what you’ve given all Warrior fans…… ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!”

Finally a pair of replies mixed mockery with urgency and calendar pressure. One fan leaned on the team to do more than wish happy days “Happiest of birthdays man sign somebody” while another reminded the franchise of the season timeline with “It’s almost October, what do u really want?”. Hence, while quite a few fans used the latest update and Dunleavy’s birthday to express disappointment, some are still hopeful.

The Warriors are known to have verbal agreements with multiple free agents already, most notable Al Horford. However, unless a speedy solution to the JK situation makes itself known, the front office continues to be short on options.