Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga ‘at peace’ despite free-agency saga

SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga danced to the Afrobeats song “Petite Genie” as it blared in the training facility at Chase Center on Sunday, about 40 minutes after the team’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was perhaps poetic timing considering the African’s lengthy free-agency journey this NBA offseason.

Petit génie, translated from French, means “little genius,” referring to an exceptionally talented and intelligent whiz kid. By the looks of his dance moves, there didn’t appear to be any lingering feelings toward the Warriors after the free-agency saga.

“That’s why it took so long to kind of develop to this level because I was never rushed to anything and I was never worried,” Kuminga, a 6-foot-7 power forward, told Andscape after recording five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes in a 111-103 victory over the Lakers. “Nothing is not going to be done or any of that. It was just like I say, ‘It’s business.’ And I always say if you [told] me two years ago you’ll be in a situation to go through a contract negotiation, I would never tell you how it’ll end up being this way. …

“Not too many contract [negotiations] get to go this far. It’s very impossible to see that. But as I got to it and learned more about the business, it kind of helped me seeing the business in a different side, but in a good way. I learned so much within [about] how things go. Just be patient.”

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Kuminga’s representation were locked in a lengthy stalemate throughout the offseason over the contract’s framework. The restricted free agent ultimately agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million deal to return to the Warriors on Sept. 30 after previously making $24.9 million over four seasons. Kuminga’s new contract includes a team option in the second year designed for the Warriors (or another team if Kuminga is traded) to opt out and create a new deal after the 2025-26 campaign.

Kuminga’s stalemate also led to a delay of several Warriors free-agent signings. Last season in primarily a reserve role that he was disappointed about, Kuminga averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes per game. While Kuminga is hoping to find a steady role with the Warriors under longtime head coach Steve Kerr, there is still uncertainty. With Kuminga eligible to be traded on Jan. 15, 2026, time will tell whether he finds happiness in a role with the only NBA franchise he has known or elsewhere.

“Like we said on media day, that stuff is part of the business,” Warriors star guard Stephen Curry said about Kuminga’s lengthy free agency. “He showed up [Oct. 2], it was business as usual. Come in, play, give effort, continue to try to get better. I’m not going to overanalyze every minute he is out there. It’s not good for anybody. Just can we win, and can he be a part of it, no matter how he looks? I’m excited for him to get his legs underneath him and keep building.”

Now that Kuminga has signed, the elephant in the room regarding his role with the Warriors still looms as the season approaches.

Kuminga’s role became inconsistent and primarily as a reserve after the Warriors acquired star forward Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline last season. Kerr said he understands Kuminga’s thirst for more, but hopes his focus is on winning regardless of his role. Kuminga said he believes his role is “to rebound, play defense and run the floor,” and he doesn’t “stress myself about it or think about” his uncertain minutes from game to game. Kuminga didn’t start in this season’s first two preseason games, but he did play a prominent reserve role.

“I don’t ask [Kerr] about roles because I know what he is going to tell me,” Kuminga told Andscape. “I don’t waste my energy. I choose not to ask because nobody is going to tell me. It’s whatever. You just have to find ways to do things when you get out there. Make plays, defend. I don’t have a consistent role. I just play a role where I make sure I play defense and run the floor.”

On Kuminga’s role, Kerr told Andscape: “It’s been an interesting fit. He’s made it pretty clear that he wants the ball and an opportunity that a lot of his cohorts get and people that were drafted near him. And we weren’t able to offer that. We were a championship team. We won the title his rookie year [2021-22) and have been in the mix the last few years. So, it’s been tough. I respect the fact that he is competing and fighting in a set of circumstances that maybe isn’t ideal for him. But the thing I keep telling him is he can play a role for us, absolutely, with his size, speed and athleticism.

“He can play an important role on a very good team. He just turned 23 [on Monday]. He has plenty of basketball ahead. One day, hopefully, he will look back on this as a valuable time in his career. But I know he’s frustrated. He’s made it very clear publicly. I don’t mind that, but I want him to embrace the idea that he can be a part of something special.”

Kuminga kept his free agency in perspective by considering his humble beginnings in his hometown of Goma in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo near the Rwandan border. Basketball shoes and a decent outdoor court to play on were hard to come by during his youth. He was also born just a year before the end of The Second Congo War, which claimed more than 5 million lives. While Kuminga did return home to the Congo this past offseason, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consumer Affairs advised on Aug. 12 in a Level 3 advisory to not visit the country “due to crime and civil unrest.”

On Feb. 4, M23 declared a unilateral ceasefire with Congolese security forces in Goma, according to Global Conflict Tracker. The Congolese government estimates that as many as 2,000 were killed in the offensive on Goma by M23, a series of Rwanda-backed militant groups that have been vying for territory and valuable natural resources in the eastern Congo since the late 1990s.

Kuminga is also an ambassador for Geno-Cost, an initiative from the Congolese Action Youth Platform in recognition of the genocide against the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He attended Geno-Cost Commemoration Day on Aug. 2 in Kinshasa, Congo, to bring awareness to how the Congolese genocide brought economic gain while paying tribute to the millions of victims and survivors and those who helped them.

“I wasn’t just sitting there thinking about my contract,” Kuminga said about his trip home. “I was grinding. I was trying to find a way to come back and be better because I’m chasing something bigger and it’s a championship. I want to be the guy that’s really going to be involved in everything this year, usually getting to that level, like a championship level. But when I went back home, I wasn’t really thinking about the contract.

“I went for a purpose, for a reason. I went to Geno-Cost. We had an event about everything that has gone on in the East of Congo. There was a genocide going on out there. I grew up around those areas. So, it was just good there. I’m an ambassador of the organization that is in charge of helping people out there giving food, water and just safety. So, it was great to be out there.”

Kuminga added that his “brothers” — Warriors veterans Curry, Butler, Draymond Green and Buddy Hield — supported him during his free-agency process, and that he is committed to playing well on both ends of the court with the Warriors in hopes of winning a championship.

The following is a Q&A with Kuminga with Andscape in which he talks about his mentality, handling his free agency, the support from his family and aforementioned teammates, what he hopes to do for the Congo, his future in Golden State or elsewhere, and more.

Did you feel at peace after your lengthy free-agency situation was concluded?

I’m always at peace. I’m a peaceful guy, man. The key is the environment that I grew up in, the environment that I put myself in. There is not a bad life or a better way to live life [than] being in peace. No matter the circumstance, you’ve always got to work towards that peace. You’ve got to find what it is that makes you peaceful. [For me, that’s] my environment, my people, my two beautiful daughters, my family, my parents. I grew up in a family that doesn’t have drama. I never saw my parents get into it. So, besides being around that environment, I’ve just got to be in peace every time.

What aided you the most during the negotiations?

The one thing I really appreciate is my teammates. I never heard one of them call me and tell me, ‘Yo, hurry up and do this.’ So, just knowing that people like that who I go to work with every other day on that floor have my back, I appreciate that. I think that was the biggest thing I learned: I got people that support me and are always behind me. I’m glad and I’m happy to always call them my teammates, my brothers.

Who was the main person you leaned on through all this?

I spoke to Buddy. I spoke to Draymond. I spoke to Jimmy. I spoke to Steph. All of them. I had a 20-plus type of conversations of how contracts work, how to feel about certain things. They were teaching me certain things.

We had a [players] team camp out there in San Diego. I did not go. That’s when I had to speak to Jimmy and tell him how things were going and that I can’t get there. He’s one of the guys that really understands where I was coming from because he’s been through contract situations. And me and Steph had a long, long talk and I really appreciate that. Me and Draymond, obviously we always talk, but we had a long talk after he was coming back from China. They just gave me hope and patience for sure. I felt like I was comfortable after talking to them. You’ve always got to hear from certain outlets and they’re the ones that I really needed to hear from.

When you signed your new contract, what were your emotions?

I didn’t have no emotion. I think my family did, and I mainly just felt joy, and happy, and blessed, and thanks to God that it happened. I wasn’t stressed. I was just wanting to get it done. But having the heaviness of getting things done doesn’t make me stressed. I was just taking my time to see where these things were going to go. I’m glad we got it figured out.

How do you view your situation with the Warriors going forward?

I’m always happy. I’m working towards being an ‘X-factor.’ Being that guy on both ends when it comes to defense, when it comes to the old offense. So, I just have to find a way to help so we could win a championship.

There’s nothing about the unknown of your future here or elsewhere that makes you nervous?

I don’t think about things like that. I let the day just tell us what’s going to happen. But when it comes to future stuff and things like that, no. I don’t worry about things like that. I just try to get better. You never know with this life. It’s the NBA. One day you’re going to be here. One day you’re going to be somewhere else.

The biggest thing about it is just to work and just get better every day and be a winner. No matter where I’ll be, no matter if I’m going to be here or they might ship me somewhere else. I just want to get to wherever I’ll get, or be here and just be involved and win and impact right away. That is my biggest concern. I’m at that point now where I’ve got a couple years in now. So, I know what’s right and what is not right.

How good can you still be?

I have too much confidence. And my confidence don’t just come from [inside] because I work towards it and I see how better I get every other year. The sky is the limit. I can’t predict it, but I believe in God and I trust my work and I know I have a long way to go. And one day I’ll look back and like I say, ‘Wow, I came a long way.’

As a Christian, were there any scriptures or teachings you leaned on?

I come from a Christian family. My mom is still a pastor. As I’m speaking right now, today is Sunday. I’ve got to call her. She’s probably coming back from church. She has a church in Tampa, Florida. They live in Orlando. So, she drives over there with my dad every day. I believe in God. And if I find time, I go to church. I pray every other day. I talked to my family and they just help me go through anything.

Coming where you come from, considering your story with all the challenges, have you even taken a second to reflect on what you have accomplished coming Africa?

That’s what people don’t see. They just look at the person. I am Jonathan Kuminga, that’s all. All they see is a tunnel of vision. That’s why I don’t worry. That’s why I’m very peaceful from where I come from. Looking back, it’s a long way to mess up or any of that. When I look back, I’m always proud of myself no matter what. No matter if I step back or step forward, I’m always proud of myself because I came from a long way. When I look back from the places where I came from, there are not many people that will tell you they got to this level. Hopefully, we are going to have more. I came a long way.

How can you describe a long way?

I went from nothing to something. I’m a child from a small area in Congo. So, it’s not too many people that have a chance of making it. A lot of people are hard workers, but we just don’t have too many opportunities. As I keep growing, I want to be involved in giving people chances because I know what it takes and I know where I come from.

I’m doing it. Now I’m more established. I’m much more in peace. I could do a lot of things and I’m working on it. But one day I’ll find people and take them where I come from, and just put the history out there, and put something out there for people to really understand where I come from and what it is like making it when you’re from out there.

What do you want to do from a charity standpoint in Congo?

I have a foundation and we are working on it. I’m trying to figure it out. Building courts, building schools. It’s bigger than a lot of things. I feel like I’m trying to sit down and focus on it more and find a way. It is not something that’s just going to come overnight. So, it’s something that we’ve got to sit down and really figure it out.

Are you motivated to help from the late NBA great and philanthropist Dikembe Mutombo, who is from the Congo?

He started it. He just helped so many people. We’ve just got to follow in his footsteps.

The post Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga ‘at peace’ despite free-agency saga appeared first on Andscape.