The Chicago Bulls solved their restricted free agent holdout with point guard Josh Giddey, as did the Brooklyn Nets with Cam Thomas. However, two restricted free agents remain in purgatory as the NBA regular season nears: Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga and Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes.
Kuminga's situation is peculiar, as the former No. 7 overall pick was very underutilized by Golden State during his first four years in the league. The Warriors have been stuck between two timelines, attempting to remain competitive in the final years of Stephen Curry's legendary career while also holding onto young players and picks that could be valuable after the Hall-of-Fame guard retires. Kuminga was a 19-year-old rookie during the team's 2022 NBA Championship run and has been afforded little room to develop while the Warriors try to contend for another title.
It makes sense, then, that Kuminga might wish to spread his wings elsewhere on a team where he could play a larger role. Kuminga's disgruntlement has been a poorly-kept secret, and according to a new report from ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania, the Chicago Bulls actually attempted to trade for the young wing.
Charania revealed that Chicago had offered guard Alex Caruso — now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder — in a deal for Kuminga a few seasons ago. Warriors owner Joe Lacob turned down the Bulls' offer.
"Lacob has remained a staunch Kuminga supporter and vocal believer in his long-term future," Charania wrote on Monday. "He voiced an unwillingness to include Kuminga in a proposed trade from Chicago for Alex Caruso a couple of seasons back, sources said, and was still glowing about Kuminga's performance in May after he rose from out of Steve Kerr's first-round rotation to the team's leading scorer in the second-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves."
The Bulls eventually sent Caruso to Oklahoma City, where his defense helped bring the Thunder to their first NBA Championship. In return, Chicago received Giddey, who signed a four-year contract worth $100 million with the franchise a week ago.
Kuminga, who turns 23 before the start of the regular season, averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 2024-25. However, he stepped up massively on offense when Curry got injured in the playoffs, averaging 20.8 points per game on 54.3% shooting and 42.1% from three against the Wolves.
Golden State extended a one-year, $7.98 million qualifying offer to Kuminga in June. Very few other teams have cap space remaining, meaning Kuminga might not get a better offer elsewhere for the upcoming season.
While he's stuck as a restricted free agent for now, Kuminga would hit unrestricted free agency in 2026 if he agrees to the Warriors' qualifying offer. The Bulls project to have a significant amount of cap space next summer and could be a team to watch for in the 2026 Kuminga Sweepstakes.
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