Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II are some of the players who were previously linked with the Golden State. But where are they now? Stuck at the same place as the Warriors’ front office, they have failed to find a solution for their young forward, Jonathan Kuminga. Could there be light at the end of the tunnel? With two weeks to go before training camp opens, JK can be a suitable option for many teams, including those in the East.

On The Garden Report, guest Sam Esfandiari compared the current Kuminga stance to that of the Celtics superstar duo, Tatum and Brown. “I don’t think we give Jaylen Brown and, to a lesser degree, Jayson Tatum enough credit for being able to develop in an environment that never really bottomed out.” Further explaining, he added that both the Boston superstars are comfortable when the other one takes the majority of the shots. “Like they never, what Kuminga clearly wants is the ball in his hands, 25 shots a game to figure it out. Like he wants to be on the Washington Wizards.”

Wizards currently fit in perfectly in the trade plans, as their young player Bilal Coulibaly, is set to miss the start of the season. The French guard on national duty at EuroBasket underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. Last season, Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points and five rebounds a game. But there were glaring issues in his game. He shot just 28.1% from 3 for the Wizards last season, and that didn’t appear to improve over the summer as he was 3-of-14 from beyond the arc at EuroBasket.

That’s why Jonathan Kuminga fits right into the team. Later, Esfandiari chimed in and said. “And like, that’s the other part of it. It’s like, it just lets you know, his mentality is me first. ‘I want, I care about scoring more.’ And every young player has the mentality of, ‘I want to prove myself. I want to prove I can be an all star in this league.‘” Naturally, in the Warriors, it’s Stephen Curry first and then Jimmy Butler who takes the majority of the shots. JK tried fitting in with the team, but until now, Steve Kerr couldn’t find the right plan.

Host Bobby Manning explained that the Warriors are stuck with Kuminga, as they can’t seem to find a solution for him either within the team or find an option outside. The Golden State Warriors offered Kuminga a two-year, $45 million proposal that included a team option, while the qualifying offer on the table sits at roughly $7.9 million.

Moreover, he remains a restricted free agent, and the Warriors’ offer includes no player option. That lack of flexibility could push JK toward the qualifying offer, creating uncertainty for the team’s planning. But there is another Eastern team that could end up being the next destination for Kuminga.

$100 million deal could help Jonathan Kuminga

Reports suggest Kuminga’s preference leans toward a “longer deal” to remain with the Warriors for years. That’s why the veteran isn’t satisfied with the lack of a player option attached. Which might push him to accept the qualifying offer and become available on the open market next summer. The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer said, “Don’t dismiss Chicago completely as a future landing spot for Kuminga.” Because, despite offering a huge $100 million deal for Josh Giddey, the franchise has a lot of cap space.

“The Bulls are projected to have significant salary cap space next summer, and there will be more teams compared to this summer’s barren marketplace. Those are among the factors that have Kuminga’s camp, I’m told, strongly considering the same route that Thomas went and accepting the $7.9 million qualifying offer from Golden State that expires Oct. 1.” Adding on to Fischer’s report, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that the expiring contract number is over $80 million. Clearly, a good sign for the roster that is rebuilding.

With financial flexibility next season, the Bulls could pursue talent aggressively. As Jonathan Kuminga wants a reported $25 a year, similar to Giddey. However, a team with a young core must remain cautious with players whose interest might be situational. But the domino will only fall once JK signs a contract first with the Warriors. So, the waiting game continues.