The Jonathan Kuminga trade saga is causing a stir amongst multiple teams and their roster decisions. As per reports, there is almost a $5 million to $10 million difference between what Kuminga wants and what the Warriors are offering him per year.
Now, an anonymous NBA executive has issued their take on the matter, and they see the 22-year-old forward as worthy of a $25M per year contract and a better player than Jaden McDaniels.
“McDaniels is great in his role, but J.K. is more talented and has higher upside if he ever can hit,” says the anonymous executive.
Jaden McDaniels has a 5-year, $131M contract, and he is an ideal comparison for Kuminga. The Timberwolves forward came into the league just a year before Kuminga, and if his contract can run up to $26.2M per year, Kuminga’s ask looks justified.
Fans aren’t particularly satisfied with the comment coming anonymously and shared their take on the bubbling issue. Some fans see Kuminga not up for his role in the same manner McDaniels is, while others feel this is a strategic move from the Sacramento Kings’ side so that they can get Kuminga at the desired price.
The Kings seemingly want to get rid of Malik Monk and sign Kuminga so that they can sign Russell Westbrook as well in Sacramento..
“It's Vlade, isn't it?”
“That anonymous executive is from Sacramento, probably.”
“Did the anonymous executive watch McDaniels' improvement this year? Kuminga is not close to him.”
“McDaniels being great in his role is the key wording here. Kuminga doesn’t really seem to want to play that role. He wants to be the star. That is the issue with him right now for most teams.”
“He’s not better than Jaden McDaniels, but $25 million a year for JK is actually very fair money.”
“Kuminga’s agent deserves a raise for this rumor spreading.”
Kuminga’s trade has become the biggest talking point for the Warriors’ offseason. There have been reports that Jonathan Kuminga and the front office are no longer in contact amid the standoff on his potential extension.
The comparison to McDaniels shows the strengths and weaknesses in his game. For instance, looking at purely the scoring statistics, in the regular season, Kuminga averages 12.4 points, shooting 50% from the field.
McDaniels, on the other hand, only averaged 10 points, with a 48% shooting percentage from the field. But in the playoffs, McDaniels has been able to show much higher impact on the box score than Kuminga.
Kuminga played 34 games in the playoffs and averaged only 7.0 points per game, despite one of those seasons being a championship run. McDaniels has averaged 12.0 points in the 37 playoff games he’s played for the Timberwolves.
The Warriors are a behemoth looking at a resurgence, and the Timberwolves are young and upcoming. Both these players have had ample chance and space to prove themselves as worthy baton holders for the franchises.
But it looks like Kuminga is not satisfied with the position or the role and wants to see what options he has outside the Warriors. The 22-year-old restricted free agent will get a chance to either sign the qualifying offer, or maybe the Warriors will concede on his desired contract extension and agree with the sign-and-trade deal with the Kings or any other team giving them anywhere close to Kuminga's value in return.
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