Warriors, Kuminga near Oct 1 deadline as qualifying-offer talks stall

With training camp two weeks away and the start of the regular season looming, the Golden State Warriors remain locked in a high-stakes stalemate with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga that has frozen parts of the franchise offseason. Team executives have increased their pitch, but Kuminga and his camp continue to reject deals that include a team option on the final season, leaving the 22-year-old forward likely to decide his next move before the October 1 qualifying-offer deadline.

People familiar with the negotiations said the Warriors recently offered Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million contract that guarantees roughly $48.3 million across the first two seasons but includes a team option in year three. The team previously proposed a two-year, $45 million arrangement with a second-year team option. Kuminga’s representatives have pushed back, seeking either a player option late in the deal or a different guarantee structure that would give him greater control over his future.

Kuminga’s leverage is the non-guaranteed one-year qualifying offer worth about $7.9 million. Signing it would grant him a trade veto for the coming season and make him an unrestricted free agent in...