Kuminga and the Warriors are hurting each other.

The free agency market has been open for nearly a month, yet the Warriors' roster still consists of only 9 players plus one two-way contract player. While other teams have largely filled their rosters, the Warriors' situation appears quite peculiar.

The Warriors are also the only team with "zero operations" during the offseason, with reports suggesting they have negotiated with Horford and Melton, who played for the team last season. However, until the moment of signing, no one can guarantee anything, and there is a possibility that Horford might retire.

The reason the Warriors have remained inactive during the offseason is primarily due to the uncertain future of restricted free agent Kuminga. If the Warriors sign someone now, it would bring their salary closer to the luxury tax threshold, and using the mid-level exception would likely result in losing Kuminga for nothing.

In simple terms, if the Warriors sign someone now, other teams will seize the opportunity to offer Kuminga a price that the Warriors cannot match. Since the Warriors do not want to lose Kuminga for nothing, they have been dragging their feet.

The Warriors have made some offers to Kuminga, though the exact figures are unclear, and Kuminga has not accepted them. His desire to leave the Warriors has intensified, and unless the Warriors present him with an irresistible offer, which is nearly impossible, he is likely to remain unsatisfied.

One netizen accurately summarized the current drama between the Warriors and Kuminga: "I don't want to pay you, but I'm afraid others will." The Warriors are completely unable to operate due to their situation with Kuminga, leaving both sides in a stalemate.

The Kings are interested in Kuminga and are willing to offer Davion Mitchell, Saric, and a protected first-round pick as part of a sign-and-trade deal. However, the Warriors are more interested in Ellis or Keegan Murray, both of whom are clearly untouchable for the Kings.

The deadline to withdraw the qualifying offer has passed, and the Warriors offered Kuminga a one-year deal worth $7.9 million. If Kuminga ultimately accepts this qualifying offer, he will stay with the Warriors for another season and become a free agent next year.

For Kuminga, this is almost the worst-case scenario—losing out on a big contract and completely ruining his relationship with the team. However, reports indicate that Kuminga is considering accepting the qualifying offer, possibly waiting until October 1 to do so. It seems like a waiting game, with both sides holding out.

For the Warriors, having missed the early phase of free agency, the remaining time is no longer crucial; the players they intended to sign have mostly reached verbal agreements. However, for Kuminga, choosing to accept the qualifying offer would represent the worst outcome.

In recent years, the outcomes for restricted free agents who ultimately accept their qualifying offers have not been favorable. Only "Little Bridge" Miles Bridges signed a qualifying offer in 2023 and then secured a three-year, $75 million contract in 2024.

Over the past eight years, five first-round picks have signed qualifying offers, and only Bridges ended up with a big contract. The other four failed to secure significant deals, with Noel, who was poorly advised by his agent, signing for only two years and $3.7 million.

Going against the team usually doesn't end well for a player, as other teams will also consider your difficult personality when signing you. Kuminga does have feelings for the Warriors, as this is where his career began, but the team has already hurt him deeply last season.

After trading for Butler, Kuminga became a benchwarmer, receiving DNPs in the last regular season game, the play-in game, and the first game of the playoffs, completely abandoned by Kerr. It wasn't until Butler got injured in Game 2 that Kuminga finally got a chance to play.

However, after Butler recovered, Kuminga continued to receive DNPs in Games 4, 5, and 6, and played only a few minutes in Game 7. The Warriors' attitude towards Kuminga has been one of summoning him at will, and after Curry's injury in the second round, Kuminga was called upon again, but the previous treatment had already left him disheartened.

In hindsight, the best time for the Warriors to handle Kuminga was after he showcased his value last season; they should have traded him then for the benefit of all. However, the Warriors were overly focused on obtaining more in return, and now Kuminga's trade value has diminished significantly.

It can be said that the current predicament is entirely a result of the Warriors' management's decisions. As a former seventh overall pick, Kuminga has top-tier talent, but the team environment has failed to maximize his potential, and both sides have been at odds from the start. When it was time to let go, the Warriors handled it poorly.

The relationship between the Warriors and Kuminga shouldn't have ended up like this; a series of wrong choices has placed both sides in direct opposition, making reconciliation impossible.