The gears appear to be turning in the most consequential saga of the Golden State Warriors' offseason.

The Warriors made forward Jonathan Kuminga the $7.9 million qualifying offer Saturday morning, according to Anthony Slater of . That formally ensures Kuminga will enter restricted free agency.

Kuminga, 22, has averaged 12.5 points per game for Golden State over four seasons in a variety of different roles. The seventh pick of the 2021 draft was a member of the team's 2022 championship team, though he averaged just over eight minutes per game in that postseason.

His departure from the Warriors has been a subject of intense speculation in the Bay Area, and his comments to Slater in a Wednesday interview were noncommittal.

"Things take time, but I feel like I’m at the point where that has to be my priority, to just be one of the guys a team relies on. Aiming to be an All-Star. Multiple times. Aiming to be great," Kuminga said. "Wherever I’m going to be at, it don’t matter if it’s the Warriors or if it’s anywhere else, it’s something I want."

Due to his career's choppy statistical start, Kuminga—a G League Ignite alum—is often cited as a poster child for that program's failure. However, potential remains.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo native's options include accepting the qualifying offer, negotiating a new deal with Golden State, signing an offer sheet with another team (which the Warriors can then match), or negotiating a potential sign-and-trade deal.