The options are dwindling.
When the 2025 NBA free agency period began, there were, justifiably, plenty of suitors for Golden State Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. Not enough, apparently. Or at least, not serious enough.
As we near the home stretch of July, not only does Kuminga remain unsigned, but the reports and rumors have slowed to a near-halt. And as teams add players left and right, it’s fair to wonder if the interested organizations have already addressed their Kuminga needs elsewhere.
There were two teams immediately linked to Kuminga when free agency began: the Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat. And since those early days, the former has traded for Cam Whitmore and the latter for Norman Powell.
Neither Whitmore nor Powell is a perfect comp for Kuminga, but both represent, at the very least, a similar concept. Whitmore, like Kuminga, is a former highly-touted first-round pick bursting with athleticism and scoring ability, but who hasn’t yet put it all together. Even though he hasn’t shown nearly as much as Kuminga has, it’s quite possible that the Wizards scratched their itch for that concept. Powell is, unlike Kuminga, a proven veteran, but his length, athleticism, and ability to fill up the points column in a hurry are similar. Miami was in search of another scorer to supplement Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo, and now that need has been filled.
There are certainly more teams interested, and many of them have patched roster holes as well. The Phoenix Suns are one of the latest teams to enter the fray, but, having already added a high-scoring, flawed youngster in Jalen Green, are probably not willing (or able) to make a compelling offer. Nor, you would assume, are the Chicago Bulls, who have also entered the picture recently. Nor were the Sacramento Kings, who reportedly had a sign-and-trade offer that was comically uninteresting.
The reality at this stage in free agency is that most of the teams interested in Kuminga have already added players that fill the role they envisioned for JK. And while his talent would still be a welcome addition for them, it’s likely not needed to the point where they’d offer Golden State a compelling offer.
Which puts us that much closer to a Kuminga return for season five by the bay.