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While Jonathan Kuminga was unable to come to terms on a rookie contract extension with the Golden State Warriors ahead of Monday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline, there is reportedly no shortage of belief in his potential on either side.
ESPN’s Shams Charania and Kendra Andrews reported the two sides didn’t finalize a deal even though Golden State agreed to a three-year, $39 million extension with Moses Moody on Sunday.
Yet Charania and Andrews noted “Kuminga believes in his talent and ability to progress into a star in the league, and the Warriors have seen statistics that measure his growth similarly to the early years of the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam and Boston’s Jaylen Brown.”
Those are quite the notable names, but Golden State apparently wants to see more.
The report added that the team didn’t want to commit to anything long term without seeing if he continues to grow during the 2024-25 campaign. The front office is also “monitoring” the fit between Kuminga and head coach Steve Kerr.
While deadlines often create deals, there still didn’t have to be significant urgency in this instance.
After all, Kuminga is scheduled to become a restricted free agent ahead of the 2025-26 season, which means Golden State can control his rights by matching any offer he receives from another team. If the Warriors want him, he will remain a member of the club beyond just the upcoming campaign.
“Just because you don’t get an extension done doesn’t mean they’re not going to be here for a long time,” general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said ahead of training camp.
Kuminga is not on the level of Leonard, Siakam and Brown, but he is also just 22 years old and coming off his best season.
The 2021 first-round pick averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from deep in 2023-24. Even though the three-point percentage was the lowest mark of his career, the other numbers were all his best since he entered the league.
Leonard and Brown didn’t average that many points per game until their fourth seasons, while Siakam saw a similar jump while averaging 16.9 points per game during his third year.
All of them became All-Stars and champions as their careers progressed, so there is quite the blueprint for Kuminga to follow as he becomes more experienced.
Perhaps the contract situation will also serve as a motivating factor, which would only elevate his already high ceiling.
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