With training camp less than three weeks away, the Golden State Warriors’ offseason remains unsettled. With only nine players under contract and no standard roster additions, the franchise finds itself stalled by Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency. His unresolved deal has frozen veteran signings and potential trade talks, leaving the roster in limbo. Despite reported offers of up to $75 million over three years, Kuminga is holding firm, seeking control of his future and guaranteed minutes, something Steve Kerr might be hesitant to commit to. Now, with whispers of him accepting the qualifying offer to test unrestricted free agency in 2026, the Warriors face another uncertainty at a critical juncture.

That slowdown matters in practical ways. Medicals, trainer checks, and the slow, useful work of fitting new pieces into a locker room usually happen now. Instead, hires and veteran promises are parked while Golden State waits on a decision that could rearrange cap space and trade options. As “It’s different, for sure,” Stephen Curry said about the summer uncertainty, the subtext is clear that veterans can absorb chaos for a while, but rookies and late invites cannot.

Reports are surfacing that the holdup is testing the Warriors’ plan to mix veteran stability with emerging youth. Because until Kuminga’s situation clears, the front office is reluctant to officially add experienced pieces. The team has floated offers in different shapes and sizes, and one recent front office proposal included a three-year, seventy-five point two million dollar package with a team option in year three, an offer Kuminga has pushed back on as too team-controlled. That tug of war is the reason the team’s multiple roster strategy is being stress tested right now.

Jonathan Kuminga’s contract stalemate continues to ripple through Golden State’s roster planning. Reports link the Warriors to veterans like Al Horford, or mid-aged players like De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II who could provide much-needed depth once Kuminga’s future is settled. In the meantime, options such as Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Dalano Banton have been brought in for workouts at Chase Center, but unlike most years, these sessions carry little clarity about what kind of deal might actually be on the table.

This uncertainty creates an awkward pause in a process that is normally straightforward. Instead of building momentum toward camp, the Warriors are stuck waiting, unable to fully commit to the veterans or the developmental pieces who could round out their depth chart. For free agents weighing their options, that lack of direction makes Golden State less appealing, and for the team, it raises the risk of missing out on timely signings. The consequences of delay are easy to imagine.

Training camps as short as a three-day sprint mean fewer practice reps for an aging roster. But the Warriors are known for their ‘limited practices’. The issue here can be them opting for a rushed onboarding process where introductions, physicals, and system walkthroughs collide all at once. For a team that prides itself on continuity and careful preparation, that lost runway could prove costly. The Warriors will field a roster, but whether they can build chemistry quickly enough to compete is the question still unanswered.

Joe Lacob’s Meeting With Jonathan Kuminga Leaves Warriors Future in Question

Owner Joe Lacob even left the Bay to try to move the needle. Multiple accounts and reporting show Lacob flew to Miami for an in-person meeting with Kuminga and the agent, where ownership leaned into the conversation and asked a blunt version of something front offices have to ask. “Do you want to be here?” The exchange reportedly flipped back on ownership when Kuminga answered, “Do you even want me here?” and made clear the stalemate is about more than The numbers on the table help explain the tension. The Warriors improved an offer to three years, seventy-five point two million dollars with a team option in the third year and sizable guarantees in years one and two. Kuminga and his camp have pushed for player options and more control, and they have shied away from team option structures that make him feel like a movable piece rather than a partner. Those structural differences are the core of the negotiation gap.

Kuminga also has a backstop that lengthens the calendar. He can accept the one-year qualifying offer by the October 1st deadline and come back next season without giving the Warriors long-term guarantees, and that option has been reported as something he has warmed to. Accepting that route would give him freedom next summer but would also create a headache for Golden State, because it could cost the team trade leverage and force short-term roster creativity while saving big luxury tax dollars. Both sides see costs and benefits.

That is why the stalemate keeps the rest of the offseason parked. If Kuminga signs something other than the qualifying offer, Golden State can quickly add the veteran pieces it has been eyeing and move on to normal camp rhythm. If he waits until the deadline, those moves will compress into a last-minute scramble, with Exhibit Ten and two-way offers filling the gaps. Watch the calendar and watch the Oct 1 deadline because the answers on that day will show whether the Warriors’ multiple roster plan survives this hiccup or needs a rethink.