Jeff Teague has weighed in on Jonathan Kuminga’s ongoing free agency dispute with the Golden State Warriors.
Kuminga’s contract talks with the Warriors have stalled. They cannot agree on financial incentives, with the Warriors set on their two-year, $45 million offer. Meanwhile, Kuminga feels that the Warriors have stunted his growth.
There is a line of potential suitors for Kuminga if he cannot reach a deal with the Warriors, including the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. They’re actively pursuing him for the summer of 2026, but Teague doesn’t understand why.
Kuminga is a restricted free agent, meaning he is able to sign a contract with another team, but the Warriors will have an opportunity to match the offer and keep Kuminga.
They are incentivized to do this rather than let their young star walk for free, but Golden State has shown an unwillingness to pay Kuminga, or offer him a long-term deal.
That’s why Teague doesn’t understand why Kuminga doesn’t sign a deal elsewhere if he no longer wants to be in Golden State.
Speaking on the Club 520 Podcast, he said, “He’s a restricted free agent. He can sign a deal. I don’t understand that.
“The Phoenix Suns can sign him. He’s a restricted free agent, so they got a couple of days to match it. Unless Phoenix think they’ll match it, but it doesn’t sound like the Warriors will.”
It has been widely reported that the Suns are aiming to complete a sign-and-trade with the Warriors in order to bring in Kuminga, but Golden State is unlikely to agree.
Teague continued, “He can sign a contract. It isn’t like they have to do a sign-and-trade. They must just not have the money unless they move a player or something. But they can sign him. All they gotta do is offer a four-year offer for $90 million and put in a no-trade clause.
“I’m pretty sure Golden State will not match that.”
Teague eventually added, “Maybe they don’t got no money to sign him though.”
That’s exactly right, and it’s common among most of the teams interested in Kuminga.
After signing Devin Booker to a $145 million deal, Phoenix does not have cap space to sign Jonathan Kuminga outright. They are now $12 million above the second apron, even after Bradley Beal’s buyout.
That means they cannot sign free agents unless they are to minimum deals, and the Kings are in a similar spot.
Both teams have expiring deals going into 2026, however, and could have the space to sign Kuminga then. They will therefore be hoping he takes a one-year qualifying offer from the Warriors, and signs with them next offseason.
