The Golden State Warriors currently have nine guaranteed contracts on the books for next season. While other NBA teams are filling their 14th and 15th roster spots and signing guys up for training camp invites, the Warriors largely remain in a holding pattern while the Jonathan Kuminga restricted free agency plays out — Golden State doesn’t know precisely what it has to spend until Kuminga’s contract is on the books.
That leaves free agent Al Horford in a holding pattern — he’s going to sign with the Warriors for at least the taxpayer midlevel exception ($5.7 million). But, everything is on hold, something NBA insider Jake Fischer talked about at Bleacher Report (hat tip Hoops Rumors). Fischer said the Warriors remain “very confident” they will sign Horford.
“Al Horford’s situation is a bit different because, depending on where the Warriors land in a cap/tax situation, I believe he is slated to make upwards of the full taxpayer mid-level exception. There has also been some discussion about whether or not he could potentially be receiving a two-year deal with a player option as well.”
Horford would bring the Warriors up to 10 guaranteed contracts, they would need to sign at least four more players, all for the minimum. Players linked to the Warriors include Gary Payton II, Seth Curry, De’Anthony Melton and Malcolm Brogdon, Fischer said.
It all comes back to Kuminga — a situation likely to drag out into next month and closer to the start of training camp at the end of September. If, as expected, he and the Warriors work out some kind of compromise around the two-year, $45 million offer the team has on the table, that would leave the Warriors with enough space below the second apron of the luxury tax to sign Horford to the taxpayer midlevel and sign the other players on minimum deals. However, if Kuminga were to sign the $7.8 million qualifying offer (making him an unrestricted free agent next summer), the Warriors would have more room to maneuver.
For now, everything remains on hold.
