The Golden State Warriors have yet to make a move during the 2025 NBA offseason.

Golden State’s front office has refused to perform any crucial free agent signings or pull the trigger on a needle-moving summer trade, but the franchise’s hesitance could be attributed to an ongoing and unpredictable situation.

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Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency has required the organization’s undivided attention ever since their second-round playoff elimination at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025 Western Conference Semi-Finals. The team has been unable to pull off a sign-and-trade deal to ship the athletic wing to a new squad, and the current market has not been kind to restricted free agents, resulting in a standstill between the two sides.

As a result of Kuminga’s free agency saga, one NBA writer has suggested that the Warriors missed out on a golden opportunity to sign an impactful free agent before he was eventually taken off the market by the New York Knicks on a team-friendly contract.

“Kuminga’s unresolved future is certainly causing some problems for the Warriors, and might have cost them an opportunity to even having the chance to target an ideal free agency option last week,” FanSided’s Peter O’Keefe wrote Thursday.

“(Guerschon)Yabusele is now headed to the New York Knicks on a two-year, $11.3 million contract, providing a rotation boost and extra depth to a squad that just reached the Eastern Conference Finals.”

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“Given Golden State are expected to use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception on veteran (Boston Celtics) center Al Horford, perhaps they wouldn’t have even had the finances to get into the Yabusele conversation anyway.

“Having an earlier resolution on Kuminga’s future would have provide some clarity on that, and potentially have given the Warriors a chance at Yabusele depending on what happens with the former seventh overall pick.”

As a prospective free agent signing for Golden State, Guerschon Yabusele would have checked plenty of boxes for the dynastic organization.

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Standing at 6-foot-8, the versatile two-way frontcourt force contributed 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while boasting an impressive 38.0% shooting clip from three-point range in 70 appearances for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2024-25.

An underrated athlete and ball-handler, Yabusele could have been a sensational option for the Warriors as a small-ball power forward or center thanks to his mix of outside shot-making and agility.

With Yabusele now heading to the Knicks on a 2-year, $12 million deal and Kuminga’s situation remaining murky as ever, it’s safe to say that Golden State may have lost out on a difference-making piece this summer.

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