The Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls find themselves navigating strikingly similar challenges during this year’s NBA free agency period. Both franchises are dealing with contract-related uncertainties involving young talents — for Golden State, it’s forward Jonathan Kuminga, and for Chicago, it’s guard Josh Giddey. While the negotiations haven’t unfolded in identical fashion, the underlying tension is comparable.
Now, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer during a live Bleacher Report segment, there’s speculation that the Warriors might be open to flipping their own contract standoff for the Bulls’ situation, exploring the possibility of a direct Kuminga-for-Giddey trade.
“I can report that there have been multiple teams reaching out to Josh Giddey’s representatives to gauge interest. Golden State is one of them. The Warriors would be interested, depending on how things progress, in some kind of player swap involving Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga, from what I’ve heard,” Fischer explained.
Bulls Previously Linked to Kuminga
The seriousness of Golden State’s interest remains unclear, especially as Chicago has reportedly rejected all previous proposals for Giddey. Still, Fischer added that the Bulls have had their eyes on Kuminga before.
“They contacted Golden State earlier in the offseason about Kuminga. In fact, he’s been part of multiple trade conversations between the two teams in the past — including when the Warriors were showing interest in Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso,” Fischer noted.
Complications of a Double Sign-and-Trade
While intriguing on paper, the deal faces steep hurdles — particularly due to the complexities of a double sign-and-trade under the NBA’s Base Year Compensation rules. Under this structure, the outgoing salary for a recently re-signed player is recorded at 50% of the new average annual salary on the trading team’s books, but the incoming salary is counted at the full amount for the receiving team.
For example, hypothetically, if Kuminga signs a new deal worth $20 million per year, the Warriors would only be allowed to treat it as $10 million outgoing salary for trade-matching purposes. The Bulls, however, would need to account for the full $20 million incoming. The same applies in reverse with Giddey’s contract. This imbalance often forces teams to involve a third (or even fourth) franchise to make the trade financially legal.
Warriors’ Current Stance on Kuminga
Reports suggest the Warriors have stepped back from active Kuminga trade talks, instead hoping to retain him for the upcoming season. Golden State is believed to have offered a two-year, $45 million contract, with a team option for the second year and a request that Kuminga waive the automatic no-trade clause tied to the deal.
The deadline for an agreement is October 1 — the last day Kuminga can accept his $7.8 million qualifying offer and play out the season before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. The timeline gives both sides room to negotiate without immediate pressure.
Similar Situation for Giddey
The Bulls face a parallel scenario with Giddey, whose contract talks have also reached a holding pattern. In both cases, insiders expect clearer resolutions closer to the start of training camp.
While a straight-up swap between Kuminga and Giddey won’t be as simple as trading cards, it remains within the realm of possibility — especially if both teams are willing to loop in additional partners to overcome the salary-matching roadblocks.
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