Jonathan Kuminga’s agent reportedly did not endear himself to some members of the Golden State Warriors organization during offseason contract negotiations.
According to Nick Friedell of of The Athletic, some people with the Warriors were “irritated” by agent Aaron Turner’s decision to “go on a media tour in recent weeks while negotiating publicly in hopes of landing a better offer for Kuminga.”
That included Turner appearing two weeks ago on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective (h/t ESPN’s Anthony Slater) and telling the hosts that Kuminga was prepared to sign a one-year qualifying deal with the Warriors if he didn’t get the deal he wanted.
Kuminga and the Warriors finally reached a resolution Tuesday with Turner telling ESPN’s Shams Charania that the 22-year-old forward agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million contract with a team option for the second year.
Before the agreement, Kuminga was one of the last notable restricted free agents who hadn’t yet signed ahead of the 2025-26 season.
It was far from guaranteed that Kuminga would strike a deal with the Warriors, as Charania and Slater reported in July that Golden State had engaged in sign-and-trade discussions with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.
At least one of those teams reportedly offered Kuminga a four-year contract worth nearly $90 million as part of the talks, but trade compensation was never nailed down.
In Kuminga, the Warriors are bringing back the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft who has showcased immense potential over the past couple of seasons.
He broke out in 2023-24 to the tune of 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. However, Kuminga didn’t build on that production last season, as he averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest, and shot just 45.4 percent from the floor.
During the playoffs, Kuminga showed what he was capable of in a featured role, though, as he elevated his game during the four games superstar guard Stephen Curry missed during the second round.
In those four games, Kuminga averaged 24.3 points on 55.4 percent shooting, ending his season on a positive note.
If Kuminga can figure out a way to provide that level of production alongside Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green this coming season, the Dubs have a chance to be legitimate contenders in the Western Conference.
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