On July 29th, the Golden State Warriors reportedly reached a deadlock in contract extension negotiations with young forward Jonathan Kuminga. According to renowned NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Warriors' current maximum offer for the 22-year-old forward is a two-year, $40 million contract, far short of the $30 million annual salary level Kuminga's camp is seeking.

Kuminga's impressive performance in the second round of the 2024-25 playoffs, particularly with Stephen Curry sidelined due to injury, saw him lead the team in scoring for four consecutive games. This run of highlights not only demonstrated his growth as a former lottery pick but also significantly increased his market value. However, this strong performance also sparked a contract extension dilemma during the offseason.

It is reported that Kuminga and his team are seeking a long-term and competitive contract, and they hope that the average annual salary of the new contract will be about 30 million US dollars. However, the Warriors do not intend to make such a high offer for him, so the negotiations between the two sides have not been able to make a breakthrough.

As of now, the Warriors' maximum salary offer remains at $40 million over two years — a sign of sincerity, but still significantly below what Kuminga's team expected. Meanwhile, Kuminga continues to search for a suitable sign-and-trade partner, striving to secure a more desirable contract.

This tug-of-war is unlikely to end anytime soon. For the Warriors, they must balance maintaining a competitive roster with maintaining cap space. For Kuminga, he not only needs a salary increase but also a clear core role and development platform.