Golden State and Jonathan Kuminga’s representatives talked but were not particularly close to signing an extension to his rookie deal, according to multiple reports. Kuminga, the No. 7 pick in 2021, believes he is worth max or near-max money, and the Warriors aren’t ready to give him that today. Kuminga is betting on himself, if he becomes the Warriors needed second shot creator next to Stephen Curry the money will be there next summer.
The Warriors are willing to pay it if Kuminga consistently raises his game to that level, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report in a video (hat tip Hoops Rumors and Real GM).
“The Warriors will be happy to pay Jonathan Kuminga that top dollar if that sample size is stretched out over the entire course of the 2024/25 season,” Fischer said.
Other teams are watching this play out and are ready to jump in, Fischer adds — the Nets and the 76ers.
Brooklyn is the one team projected to have enough cap space next summer to go after a free agent, and while Kuminga would be restricted Brooklyn could make an offer Golden State does not want to match. It’s not that the Nets are targeting Kuminga, Fischer notes, but he adds that during the last rebuild in Brooklyn (before the Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving era) GM Sean Marks did go after several restricted free agents with big offer sheets and that could happen again here.
“There’s already been rumblings of Brooklyn potentially willing to throw a big offer sheet at Jonathan Kuminga,” Fischer said.
The other team mentioned is the 76ers, who would have to arrange a trade, likely using K.J. Martin’s contract with picks.
“The Sixers have definitely indicated around the league and behind the scenes that they are willing to pay to add in another piece,” said Fischer. “They are willing to spend their draft capital.”
The most likely outcome is that Kuminga re-signs with Golden State next summer, but if he wants a near-max contract, he’s going to have to play better than he has through the first two games of the season (two points on 1-of-5 shooting Friday night in a blowout win over Utah). However, if things between Kuminga and the Warriors get tense, this is something to watch next summer.
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