“Turn the TO to a PO” – Jonathan Kuminga’s agent puts Golden State on notice with clear demands to settle contract standoff

With the 2025-26 NBA season on the horizon, Jonathan Kuminga’s contract negotiations with the Golden State Warriors remain in a stalemate. Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, reportedly presented their latest contract proposals to the Warriors’ front office. However, no deal was finalized.

On Tuesday’s episode of “NBA Today,” NBA insider Anthony Slater of ESPN reported Kuminga’s latest demand through a conversation with Turner.

“The messaging they’re adopting this week is turn the TO to a PO and it’s done,” Slater said. “Not only will Jonathan Kuminga sign it, they’re saying, but he will completely bought in on the mission they are asking of him.”

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According to Slater, the goal is to help Golden State reach what it hopes will be a championship run in the upcoming season.

"And that's an understanding of him that it's a show of good will if they sent it to a player option, for what they're calling years of confusion over his role," Slater added. "And a willingness to supress some of his personal ambitions, which are obviously very much a part of the holdup here."

Throughout the negotiations, Jonathan Kuminga and his agent have indicated their preference of including a player option in any deal. According to Slater, Kuminga's camp has shown willingness to accept a deal in the $20 million range per year should a player option be added. Kuminga is asking around $30 million annually for a contract with a team option.

Kuminga has shown no interest in the Warriors' standing offer of $45 million for two years. The no-trade clause is waived in the deal and the second year is on a team option. Slater and Shams Charania wrote Tuesday that Golden State made another offer last week: a three-year, $75.2 million contract with a team option in the final season.

The Warriors want a team option attached on Kuminga's deal and have been firm on their reluctance to include a player option.

Al Horford headlines free agents waiting for Jonathan Kuminga's GSW deal to be finalized

According to NBA insiders Anthony Slater and Shams Charania, Al Horford is expected to sign a contract with the Golden State Warriors to become the team's starting center. Slater and Charania wrote Tuesday that the Warriors are waiting for Jonathan Kuminga's deal to be finalized before signing their free agent targets.

Per the ESPN insiders, Golden State plans to use its taxpayer midlevel exception to sign Horford, a one-time NBA champion. Other free agent targets include veterans De'Anthony Melton and Seth Curry. Reserve guard Gary Payton II is also expected to return to the Warriors.

Two weeks before the NBA training camps open on Sept. 29, the Warriors have just nine of the 15 roster spots filled.

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Kim Daniel Rubinos

Kim is an editor for US Sports and an NBA and WNBA analyst at Sportskeeda with a decade of multi-industry experience. He has a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in finance.

Writing has been Kim's passion, and during college, he was editor-in-chief. He has also accumulated a diverse entrepreneurial background. He possesses a knack for research.

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Beyond basketball, he also enjoys following the NFL, MLB and F1. When not immersed in the world of sports and when he is not editing or writing, Kim is likely searching for the perfect cup of joe.

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