The negotiations between the top restricted free agents and their respective franchises finally saw a deal get struck early in September, as Brooklyn Nets free agent guard Cam Thomas decided to control his future and accept the qualifying offer from the Nets. Therefore, he’ll hold a no-trade clause next season and will enter unrestricted free agency in 2026.
However, Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, and Quentin Grimes still remain without contracts as the first week of September comes to an end. Looking at Kuminga specifically, he could very well follow that same decision that Thomas made, which would be the worst-case scenario for the Warriors. But, reports indicate there’s an offer on the table.
As has been reported by multiple outlets, Kuminga appears to be leaning toward the qualifying offer over Golden State’s two-year, $45 million offer. But what if Kuminga does decide to sign that offer, giving the Warriors flexibility to trade the 22-year-old forward sometime before the trade deadline.
In that case, here are three players that could be in play, given Golden State’s positional needs and the proposed $22.5 million annual salary for Kuminga.
One of the best non-All-Star players in the NBA, Murphy was able to prove to the league and the New Orleans Pelicans last season what he can do with an improved role. Taking just under 16 shots per game, Murphy averaged 21.2 points on 59.8 TS%.
While he can definitely bring value as a 20-point-per-game scorer, he can also impact the game off-the-ball and has great size for a defender. Unfortunately, the Pelicans also see that, and have set a high price for Murphy. But, with the Warriors looking to capitalize on the Curry era, Murphy could be the ideal player for them to get over the hump.
The Boston Celtics clearly won’t be title contenders next year, especially with Jayson Tatum sidelined after a torn Achilles tendon. Based on their offseason moves, it appears as though they are embracing a “gap” year after parting ways with key members of their rotation.
While the Celtics haven’t shared any desire to part ways with Derrick White, the combo guard will be 32 years old at the start of next season, when Boston will look to be contending again. That doesn’t mean he’s going to fall off then, but the Celtics could be interested in more of a youth shift to extend their contention window.
White would also be the ideal player for the Warriors, a perfect fit next to Steph Curry in the backcourt. Adding Kuminga would give the Celtics a short-term replacement for Tatum, and he could turn into a valuable trade asset if they wanted to flip him down the line.
Even though the Warriors are rumored to have a handshake deal with Al Horford to assume their starting center position once he can officially sign, the 39-year-old center doesn’t help Golden State’s lack of youth.
If the Warriors want to swing for the fences, targeting Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen could give them that interior force they need and allow them to keep Draymond Green from getting banged up night after night.
For this to happen, the Cavaliers would need to be underwhelming next season, and moving off Allen would allow them to run Evan Mobley at center and go small with Kuminga at the four. Allen’s contract jumps from $20 million to $28 million for the 2026-27 season, so the window to trade for him would be before the 2026 deadline.