Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
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Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
We’re coming to the end of the NBA offseason, yet Jonathan Kuminga remains an unrestricted free agent. The Golden State Warriors have struggled to find an agreement that suits both parties.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania, some comments made by Steve Kerr, regarding the difficulty of finding the right role for Kuminga, have become somewhat of a roadblock.
“In negotiations, Kuminga’s side has regularly referred to some postseason comments where Kerr highlighted the difficulty of fitting Kuminga next to Curry, Butler and Green for heavy minutes and expecting to win at the highest level,” Charania and Slater reported. “It’s proof to them that the basketball fit is less than ideal for the trajectory of Kuminga’s career.”
Kuminga has struggled to cement himself within Steve Kerr’s rotation in recent years. Therefore, he’s wise to want assurances over his role and his future in the Bay Area before signing a new contract. Unfortunately, both he and the Warriors clearly know those assurances can’t be provided in good faith.
After all, Kuminga seems to fall in and out of favor with Kerr as the season progresses.
What Did Steve Kerr Say Earlier This Summer
In a May 21 appearance on “The TK Show” podcast with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Kerr explained why Kuminga has experienced an inconsistent role and the challenges he’s faced trying to fit the explosive forward into his rotation.
“All I do is I coach the team every year and try to put the puzzle together the best I can,” Kerr said. “I’ve, you know, it’s a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more. And, I’ve been asked to win. Right now, he’s not a guy who I can say that I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster that we have…Doesn’t mean he’s not a really good player.”
Kerr continued.
“Doesn’t mean he’s not talented. It just means the fit. And with the roster that we have, it’s tricky…We can talk about spacing, usage rate, and all that stuff. But the game is about puzzle fitting. It’s about five guys complimenting one another at both ends of the floor. So all I do is, you know, I try to win.”
This is likely the discussion Charania and Slater were referring to in their above report.
Warriors Recently Offered Kuminga Improved Deal
During the same report from Charania and Slater, it was revealed that Golden State has extended a new-and-improved contract offer to Kuminga. The new deal is reportedly worth $75.2 million over three years.
“The Warriors have strengthened their effort. Late last week, Dunleavy offered Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million deal with a team option in the third season, sources told ESPN,” Slater and Charania reported. “…Dunleavy and the Warriors are requesting the same structure as their previous proposal on the two-year, $45 million framework — a team option on the second season and a waiving of the inherent no-trade clause, sources said.”
Kuminga is reportedly against signing a contract with a team option. He, logically, wants to have control of his own future. Therefore, he’s unlikely to ink the new deal on offer. Instead, Golden State continues to run the risk of him inking his qualifying offer.
Time is ticking down for Golden State and Kuminga to reach a deal. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. However, the front office must get an agreement over the line. After all, Mike Dunleavy Jr. still needs to round out the roster. The Kuminga situation has taken up far too much time already.
Hopefully, the Warriors will find a resolution in the coming days.