Jeff Teague places emphasis on Jonathan Kuminga’s continued freedom agency conflict with the Golden State Warriors.
Kuminga’s contract is stagnant with Warriors. They cannot agree to financial incentives. The Warriors are set for a two-year, $45 million offer. Meanwhile, Kuminga feels that the warriors have stunted him from his growth.
If you can’t reach a deal with the Warriors, such as the Sacramento Kings or the Phoenix Suns, there are potential suitors for Cuminga. They are actively chasing him in the summer of 2026, but Teague doesn’t understand why.
Kuminga is a restricted free agent. This means he can sign a contract with another team, but the Warriors have the opportunity to keep Kuminga up to the offer.
They are encouraged to do this rather than walk the young stars for free, but Golden State shows they don’t want to pay Kuminga or offer him a long-term deal.
That’s why Teague doesn’t understand why Cuminga won’t sign the contract elsewhere when he doesn’t want to be in Golden State anymore.
Speaking about the Club 520 podcast, he said, “He’s a restricted free agent. He can sign a deal. I don’t understand that.
“The Phoenix Suns can sign him. He’s a restricted free agent, so they got a few days to match.
It has been widely reported that the Suns are aiming to complete a sign-and-trade with the Warriors to bring in Kuminga, but Golden State is unlikely to agree.
Teague continued. “He can sign a contract, he doesn’t have to sign and trade. You can’t have money unless you move a player or something. But they can sign him.
“I’m sure Golden State doesn’t match that.”
Teague eventually added, “I might not have the money to sign him.”
That’s totally right and is common among most teams interested in Cuminga.
After signing Devin Booker to a $145 million deal, Phoenix doesn’t have the cap space to sign Jonathan Kuminga. Even after the acquisition of Bradley Beal, they are currently $12 million over their second apron.
This means that you can’t sign a free agent unless you make a minimum transaction and the king is not in a similar place.
However, both teams have expired transactions until 2026 and can have space to sign Kuminga. Therefore, they hope he takes a one-year qualifying offer from the Warriors and signs the next offseason.