Al Horford should be fed up by now.
If you've followed the contract and/or trade negotiations in Golden State recently, the name Jonathan Kuminga should certainly ring a bell. Kuminga is one of a handful of young NBA talents who seem to be asking for more than they've earned from their limited displays of talent in the league to date.
Through his extremely volatile performance with Golden State over the last four seasons, Kuminga has given the Warriors no real reason to pay him what he was previously asking for (as high as $30 million per year). However, negotiations remain at a stalemate despite a tangible compromise from Kuminga's side.
Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, recently confirmed that their camp is open to a plethora of deals, including a 1-year qualifying offer worth less than $8M, a 2-year deal worth $45M, a 3-year deal worth $54M, and a 3-year deal worth $75M with a team option.
This significant degree of agreeability from Kuminga's camp has surely resulted in a done deal by now - right?
Nope.
Golden State's front office remains as staunch as ever - not only have they not yet agreed to any of the deals offered by Kuminga's team, but they have also turned down opportunity after opportunity from other interested teams, including a package of Malik Monk and a 1st round pick from the Kings.
Horford may lose his patience with the apparent mismanagement present in Golden State.
Golden State, despite a recent championship in 2022, have been an incredibly mismanaged organization since their penultimate title in 2018. The Dubs had a critical opportunity to reload and retool during their tanking years in 2020 and 2021, and only gathered the talents of James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody to show for it.
Golden State has also been reported as having internal issues with its players over the last few years, which have seemingly only been amplified over this offseason.
Does Al Horford really want to join this chaotic organization after this extensive saga of malpractice?
Horford has been reported as having an all-but-confirmed deal with the Dubs worth $5.7M under the MLE, but time is running out for Golden State to lock the veteran big in. If Golden State continues to refute Kuminga's asks, Horford may seek a safer landing spot - one Atlanta is more than ready to offer, especially given their frontcourt needs.
Hawks fans are well aware of the legacy that Horford left behind in Atlanta. Spearheading winning season after winning season, the city would welcome him back with open arms if he so chose to come home.