The long contract dispute between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors has finally come to an end.
The Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga have agreed to a new two-year, $48 million contract ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.
While the deal was stalled, Kuminga’s agent Aaron Turner made several media appearances, essentially putting pressure on the Warriors to get something done.
He talked about his desire to sign Kuminga and also touched on Kuminga’s role and how it will improve in Golden State.
During contract negotiations with the Warriors, Turner said there was “years of confusion” about Kuminga’s role.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr denied that. Kerr also said he had no problems communicating with Kuminga.
“Our communication is good. We are constantly having filming sessions. There is no confusion about what his role is. I think what I understand is that he wants more roles.”
“I think his agent made a gaffe, frankly, when he talked about the confusion.
“I have a clear understanding with all of my players of what I want from them and what is expected of them,” Kerr said.
“The tough thing for JK is everyone in the draft class around him. Frankly, they were given big roles right away on a bad team, but they were able to overcome their mistakes and play 35 minutes.
“JK came to a championship team. We won it all his rookie year. So this hasn’t been easy for JK and I recognize that, but I also think he can be patient.”
“Recognize that he is 22 years old and has a lot of things he can improve on and that’s what we want from him.”
Kuminga’s new contract makes him trade eligible on January 15th, giving the Warriors the opportunity to trade him before the trade deadline.
The Warriors are reportedly planning to put Kuminga on the trade market ahead of next season.
The Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns were reportedly interested in Kuminga during the offseason, but the Warriors were not interested in those deals.
Kuminga will be given a chance to prove himself before the start of the season. If he does his best, he might be able to mend his relationship with Golden State. If not, he could be traded in the coming months.