The Chicago Bulls had a quiet set of negotiations with restricted free agent Josh Giddey before the two parties came to terms on a four-year, $100 million contract. The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga have had anything but quiet negotiations, and as talks continue contentiously, Kuminga's agent is preparing for his client to be traded during the 2025-26 season, potentially opening the door for the Bulls to acquire a player they've been linked to several times this summer.
Golden State has reportedly offered Kuminga three different contract options, but the 22-year-old forward and his agent, Aaron Turner, haven't been happy with any of them. The main sticking point seems to be the Warriors' insistence on including a team option in any deal and Kuminga's reluctance to accept one.
Player and franchise are still miles apart on reaching an agreement, which puts two realistic options in play: They agree to a tradeable contract, or the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft picks up his $7.9 million qualifying offer and becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.
If the Bulls truly are interested in acquiring Kuminga, either option could work, but a trade would be a much easier route to take.
Latest Jonathan Kuminga news should be music to Bulls' ears
Turner has been on a busy media tour over the last handful of days, and in his most recent appearance on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, he addressed the possibility of Kuminga being traded (h/t Yahoo!Sports), saying, "There's a good chance he gets traded. Okay? There's a good chance he gets traded, and that's halfway through the year."
It would behoove Arturas Karnisovas and the Bulls to look into swinging a trade for Kuminga first. The two could work out a contract extension during the season rather than going into the summer with a high level of uncertainty. That would be the smart decision for Chicago to take in any potential acquisition over the next eight months.
Multiple outlets this offseason have reported mutual interest between Kuminga and the Bulls, and the fit makes sense. Chicago is collecting young, athletic two-way wings like they're going out of style, and Kuminga wants to land with a franchise that can give him a larger role than he's had under Steve Kerr.
If the Windy City is his ultimate destination, things are trending in the right direction. If Kuminga accepts his qualifying offer and hits the market in 2026, the Bulls will likely be waiting, potentially with the most available cap space of any team in the league. If the Warriors want to trade him, Karnisovas is armed with all of his own first-round picks and close to $90 million in expiring contracts.
Turner's latest statement only lessens Golden State's leverage and gives Chicago an easier path toward acquiring his client.