Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga Problem Lingers, Fans and Players Frustrated

The Golden State Warriors are suffering because of Jonathan Kuminga. Players are signing deals with other teams, and the options for the Warriors are getting more and more limited. Every week, there is another Kuminga update, and every week it is the same thing. Kuminga doesn’t want to sign the Warriors' offer, and the Warriors aren’t going to sign anyone until he makes a decision. 

This week, Warriors insider Monte Poole gave a new Kuminga update, but it sounds like more of the same. 

“Kuminga signing the qualifying offer remains the anticipated outcome. The deadline to do so is Oct. 1. Meanwhile, Al Horford and the rest of the veterans in Golden State’s waiting room are quietly pleading for clarity.”

One interesting note is that the Warriors veterans and potential free agent signing Al Horford are maybe starting to lose patience with the waiting game. If it goes on much longer, the Warriors are at risk of starting training camp with a worse or even incomplete roster. 

If Kuminga was actually going to sign the qualifying offer, he should do it already. For every day he holds the Warriors hostage, he is losing respect from the fan base and possibly his teammates. 

Unfortunately, the best-case scenario for the Warriors and Kuminga is that he plays ball. If Kuminga just signs a short-term $20+ million AAV contract and actually plays well and hard for the Warriors, he will get his way. The Warriors will trade him to a bad team, and he will have the opportunity to see if he can be a star. 

If Kuminga does sign the qualifying offer, as Poole and many others are expecting, things could be worse. Steve Kerr has already shown that he is willing to bench Kuminga. If he continues to yank Kuminga in and out of the rotation, then Kuminga could end up losing out on a bunch of money in free agency next season. 

This whole situation has been an embarrassment for both Kuminga and the Warriors organization. Neither side is right in how they handled things and neither side is going to get their way.