During this summer’s contract stalemate, Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga made it as clear as possible that he didn’t see a way to move forward with the team. After the two parties agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million deal earlier this week, the 22-year-old forward has changed his tone.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, after his third practice since putting pen to paper on the long-awaited extension, Kuminga made it clear that he’s solely focused on contributing to championship-level basketball with the Warriors moving forward.

Kuminga also expressed his desire to remain with Golden State for the entire 2025-26 season, which is a departure from previous reports that suggested his camp wanted the Warriors to remain open to trading him once he becomes eligible to be moved in January. According to Kuminga’s comments, he believes the feeling is mutual.

“I would say (they want me here long term),” Kuminga said. “Based on just me being back here, based on now knowing, just feeling I feel like I’ll be here. At the end of the day, let’s see where this takes us, but my focus this year is on pushing and actually helping us win. Like I said, you never know what’s going to happen, but I’m happy, glad to be back.”

Kuminga received support from his teammates, namely Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, who made it clear Kuminga would be welcomed back with open arms and that they believed he would give the team the same level of buy-in as he has in the past. In fact, Kuminga revealed his teammates reaction to his return to practice with the team.

“I was with some of my teammates today, and most of them, all of them were happy to see me back here,” Kuminga said. “So, let’s see where this takes us … I feel like a lot of the fans get in their feelings so much and it’s mostly not the ones that are actually at the game. It’s the ones that are home on Twitter, on TikTok, on social media.”

May 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) drives to the basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Another bit of news from Kuminga’s return to practice is a noteworthy number change, as the star forward will switch from his old number 00 to No. 1 for the upcoming season. According to Kuminga, it was the right time for a fresh start now that he signed a new extension and the number was available for the taking.