Technically, the 2025-26 season is underway. A handful of teams held Media Day activities earlier this week, marking the unofficial start of the campaign, and all of the league's 30 teams will open their training camps by Sept. 30 at the latest. As such, things are getting serious in markets where there is roster uncertainty, and the Golden State Warriors are arguably at the top of that list.
For one thing, the Warriors... simply do not have a full roster right now. Golden State's front office continues its standoff with restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, and because of various salary cap machinations, the Warriors have a handful of roster spots available until clarity emerges with the Kuminga situation. In short, Kuminga is in line for a contract that could bump Golden State's payroll dangerously close to the second apron, and the team's reported plans would not allow them to exceed that threshold.
For purposes of flexibility, the Warriors are reportedly waiting to sign players like Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Seth Curry until they know exactly what Kuminga will be paid in 2025-26. Those machinations also (seemingly) limit how much they can "afford" to pay Kuminga in the first season, and there is a stalemate with regard to team options and player options with any potential deal.
Long story short, the Warriors have a lot of work to do before they can build the roster that they are expected to build. That is an interesting factor for a team with real designs on winning this season and, quite clearly, Golden State is in a win-now posture with players like Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler not getting any younger. To make things even more interesting, Golden State's Media Day festivities will be held on Sept. 29 and training camp will open for the Warriors on Sept. 30.
Kuminga's Qualifying Offer and its Complications
That timing piece means that Kuminga simply may not be involved when things get underway. In addition to the complicated factors already laid out above, Kuminga is reportedly weighing whether he should sign his qualifying offer. That deal would pay him approximately $8 million for this season, which is considerably less than he would earn in any other scenario, but it would also ensure that Kuminga would become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. It would also give him a no-trade clause, which would allow Kuminga and his camp to wield some power in the situation.
At any rate, the deadline for Kuminga to accept that $8 million offer is October 1... which is after the Warriors begin training camp. Not only would that potentially mean that Kuminga would be unable to take the floor at the outset, but if he is still unsigned, the Warriors likely would choose to continue holding out on officially adding Horford, Melton, Payton II, and Curry.
In the grand scheme, it would not be the end of the world if the Warriors did not have their full complement of players available for the start of training camp. However, Golden State's preseason schedule of games will open on Oct. 5 and, with each passing day after that, it would become more and more precarious to operate shorthanded.
Kuminga could also choose to continue the standoff well after Oct. 1, even if the lack of a qualifying offer would take away some of his perceived leverage. Regardless, this is an odd situation that could continue well into training camp, and the whispers will only get louder if Golden State is practicing in early October without a significant chunk of its planned group around Curry, Green, and Butler.