Butler reportedly frustrated with Kuminga saga! Has reached out to Warriors for clarity, worried about repeating Heat’s mistakes

On September 18th Beijing time, with NBA Media Day approaching in under two weeks, Kuminga still hasn’t signed with the Warriors. He is seeking a departure, but the Warriors find the trade proposals unsatisfactory, resulting in a negotiation impasse.

This deadlock has caused a domino effect: since the Warriors cannot finalize Kuminga’s salary, they are unable to finish strengthening their roster. One of the players “waiting to sign” is former Celtics champion Al Horford, who intended to join the Warriors but has been delayed due to the ongoing situation. Warriors reporter Johnson revealed that Butler is not indifferent to the current stalemate. Reportedly, he has expressed his dissatisfaction openly by contacting the team directly.

Johnson stated on NBC’s program: “ESPN reported that Draymond and Butler both reached out to Kuminga. I can confirm that Butler also contacted the team, asking, ‘What’s the situation now? I just want to understand the team’s plans.’”

He further explained that Butler is already tired of the contract drama he experienced with the Miami Heat and had hoped for a purer basketball experience with the Warriors.

“Of course, Curry, Draymond, and Butler all have a good grasp of the team’s overall situation, which I understand. But I think when Butler joined the Warriors last year, he did so with an expectation — that the team would handle his contract properly, putting behind the frustrating issues from Miami, so he could focus solely on basketball.”

“For him, since he signed to play for the Warriors, his focus should be entirely on basketball. So now he might be thinking, ‘Hey, let’s prove through our actions that everything we’re doing is for the game.’”

Currently, it seems very likely that the Warriors’ contract negotiations with Kuminga will drag into October. This situation is clearly unfavorable because it directly impacts the team’s ability to finalize other player signings.

Another Warriors reporter, Monte Poole, said: “For the team, nothing is more important than securing roster stability before training camp starts. But right now, we can’t even achieve that.”

The Warriors will face the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason game on October 6th, one of their five preseason matchups. Afterwards, the team will meet the Lakers again in the regular season opener, led by LeBron James and Luka Dončić.