**Jonathan Kuminga**‘s restricted free agent negotiations with the Warriors remain the major lingering inflection point of the offseason. While recent reports have discussed the Warriors’ desire to sign Kuminga to a two-year, $45MM deal with a team option on the second year, Marc Stein shed more light on Kuminga’s reluctance to agree to such a framework in his most recent article (Substack link).
Part of the holdup on Kuminga’s end revolves around the fact that such deals often include a right for the player to veto trades in the first year of the deal in order not to lose their Bird rights, despite not holding a full no-trade clause. Stein says that part of the Warriors’ offer includes a request for Kuminga to waive this provision.
Stein adds that there are a handful of players who have waived their veto rights this season on similar one-year deals, including Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, and Jeff Green.
Aside from the contract negotiations, Stein writes that while Kuminga is back in the Congo at the moment, he is not expected to play in FIBA’s AfroBasket tournament this summer, though no official decision has been announced yet.
Here’s more from Stein:
Much has been made about **Luka Doncic**‘s three-year max extension with the Lakers and what it means for him and the team’s future, but Stein points out an important detail of the timeline of the deal. The contract would allow Doncic to become an unrestricted free agent with over eight years of NBA service and four years with his current team, which means he would be eligible for a no-trade clause if he were to sign a new five-year, $400MM deal to stay in Los Angeles. Stein writes that while Doncic will have technically played 3.5 years with the Lakers, it would still qualify because he would have finished four seasons in a row with the Lakers, even if he started the first one in Dallas.
While the offseason buyout market has been particularly active this offseason, Stein cautions fans not to expect Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to join the likes of Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard this summer. He writes that unless a trade materializes in the next couple of months, Vucevic will very likely begin next season in Chicago. After that, though, it has been speculated that he could be a prime mid-season buyout candidate.
De’Aaron Fox is now eligible for a similar three- or four-year extension with the Spurs as the one that Doncic signed. However, Stein notes that with the rise of reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the addition of Dylan Harper with the no. 2 overall pick, there are questions leaguewide about whether such a max deal is an automatic decision for San Antonio.
Kevin Love is actively exploring landing spots in the case of a potential buyout from the Jazz after landing in Utah as a part of the Heat’s trade for Norman Powell, though Stein doesn’t name possible suitors.