Golden State Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga isn’t going anywhere after all.
Kuminga reached a two-year, $48.5 million deal to return to the Warriors on Tuesday afternoon, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal includes a team option that is designed “to be ripped up and renegotiated next summer.” The new contract came after months of a contract dispute between the two sides that felt like it was going nowhere.
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Kuminga, according to Charania, chose this deal over a three-year deal worth around $75 million in order to maintain control over his immediate future. He will be eligible to be traded in January, which is something that is still likely to be explored.
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The Warriors selected Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, taking him one spot ahead of the Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner, who showed All-Star potential prior to an injury last season.
Kuminga has not consistently shown the same promise, though he has flashed glimpses of the athleticism and creativity that made him one of the highest-upside players in his draft. He has averaged 15.8 points (on 50/31/71 shooting splits), 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game over the last two seasons.
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It is no secret that the Warriors have long been shopping Kuminga in various trade scenarios, as he completely fell out of their playoff rotation in a seven-game, first-round series with the Houston Rockets.
Most recently, the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings have been linked as suitors for Kuminga.
For his part, Kuminga wants a consistent role, which he believes will grant him the chance to be great.
“Things take time, but I feel like I’m at the point where that has to be my priority, to just be one of the guys a team relies on,” he told the Athletic. “Aiming to be an All-Star. Multiple times. Aiming to be great. … Wherever I’m going to be at, it don’t matter if it’s the Warriors or if it’s anywhere else, it’s something I want. I want to see what I could do. I know I got it. So I want to really see. I’ve never got that chance.”
It has been difficult on a Warriors team that now boasts Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, both of whom have earned their share of scoring opportunities. Butler also plays the same position as Kuminga, whose commitment to defense and sharing the ball within Golden State’s motion offense have raised concerns.
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For all the concerns, though, when Kuminga was thrust into a higher-profile role — as Curry was sidelined to injury over the final four games of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves — he stepped up, averaging 24.3 points on 55/39/72 shooting splits in 31 minutes a night.
It is that potential for which he received this lucrative contract.
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