The Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Play-In Tournament to earn the seventh seed in the Western Conference. In a critical matchup that forward Jonathan Kuminga didn’t play in, it could be a sign of his future with the franchise.
Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard shared his belief on 95.7 The Game that Kuming will not be back with Golden State next season, citing a ‘tricky situation’ that is unlikely to be worked out with a new contract.
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- Jonathan Kuminga stats (ESPN): 15.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG< 2.2 APG, 45.4% FG, 30.5$ 3PT in 2024-’25
“The likely situation is [Jonathan Kuminga]’s not going to be on the Warriors next season. Things can change, but all things being equal, it was probably going to be a tricky situation for him to come back to the Warriors anyway…I don’t know that he’s going to be galloping to sign a new deal with the Warriors given all this.”
Tim Kawakami on Jonathan Kuminga’s future with the GOlden State Warriors
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It would be a significant change from where things stood last offseason when Kuminga entered the final year of his contract. Golden State reportedly offered the 6-foot-7 forward a multi-year extension worth around $30 million per season. However, his camp wouldn’t back off its asking price of $35 million annually.
Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, came off a breakout. 2023-’24 NBA season with the Warriors. He shot 52.9 percent from the field, while averaging a career-high in scoring (16.1 PPG) and posting an excellent .113 Win Shares per 48 Minutes.
He played in just 47 games during the regular season, making just 10 starts and averaging 24.3 minutes per night. After being inactive from January 5 through March 10, Kuminga returned to the Warriors’ rotation and shot just 17.1 percent from the perimeter while averaging 12.3 points per game.
Heading into his age-23 season, Kuminga still offers enticing length and athleticism. He will be a restricted free agent this summer, so Golden State could pursue a sign-and-trade with him with whichever team shows interest. However, the Warriors’ willingness to move on from him and a limited number of teams with cap room could result in a limited return for Golden State in a potential sign-and-trade.
