The Golden State Warriors spent all summer pushing back against trading talented young forward Jonathan Kuminga. That included refusing to offer up the 21-year-old lottery pick as part of a package for Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.
General manager Mike Dunleavy views Kuminga and fellow youngster Brandin Podziemski as franchise cornerstones. It’s part of a young core Golden State wants to keep together for when the Stephen Curry era ends in Northern California.
That’s why this latest piece of information is so surprising.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported on Thursday that the Dubs are not currently prepared to offer Kuminga a rookie-level max contract. Said deal would pay him roughly $224 million over five years ($44.8 million per season).
“That doesn’t mean there isn’t a reasonable middle ground—perhaps in the $30-ish million per season range as the deadline nears. Nobody can say for sure what will happen if Kuminga is presented a concrete, life-changing financial offer and the Warriors come to believe the deal will age well enough as the salary cap projects to skyrocket,” Slater reported. “There have been tentative extension discussions between the sides, league sources said, but a clear divide remains.”
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Jonathan Kuminga contract situation and the Golden State Warriors
As Sportsnaut reported back in August, Kuminga is indeed demanding a max contract. He’s not going to take a deal that’s in the $30 million per-year range. That’s just not in the cards.
The backdrop here is obvious. If the Warriors do feel that Kuminga is a franchise cornerstone, why not just hand him the max deal? If not, a trade should have been considered during the summer.
- Jonathan Kuminga stats (2023-24): 16.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 53% shooting, 32% 3-point
Over the course of his final 38 games last season, Kuminga averaged 19.2 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 38% from distance.
The youngster is set to become a restricted free agent next summer. If he plays like he did over that span last season, some team will offer Kuminga that max. The ball would then be in Golden State’s court to match.