The Golden State Warriors are trying to find a common ground with Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, but the forwards aren’t doing anything easy for the team that drafted him.
Until the Golden State Warriors come to a resolution with Jonathan Kminga, it is impossible for them to agree to trade with free agents such as Al Horford and DeAntony Melton. As an unlimited free agent, Kuminga has made it clear he doesn’t want to return to Golden State, but the team has more power than he wants.
Kuminga will sign and trade with the Warriors by the trade deadline in February and the latest trade deadline.
To get something for Kuminga, the Warriors want to sign him an easy-to-trade deal. Recent reports show that the Warriors are willing to commit $45 million over two seasons, but Kuminga is not interested in thinking he is less than he thinks he is worth it so that he can trade more easily.
In short, he wants fair value in his talent and potential.
“Cuminga recently traveled to his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, returning to Miami (his current offseason workout spot) with the same view on the Golden State Warriors’ two-year $45 million offer,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater revealed.
“The Warriors initially presented it to Cuminga’s expression as a tradable deal that could ultimately soften both sides’ long-term wishes when they were eligible to move again in January. That’s why Golden State wanted a team option in the second season, and Kuminga exempts his inherent Notredead clause.”
Kuminga is making around $22 million next season, so the Warriors should be able to flip him over, but like Cam Thomas, Kuminga looks at himself on par with things like Tyler Hello and RJ Barrett.
The Warriors want to ink Kuminga in team-friendly, easily tradeable deals, but it feels like Kuminga hasn’t borrowed anything to Golden State.
After all, the team effectively replaced him in a lineup with Jimmy Butler, and did not play him in the must-see final game of the season or The first play-in game and his postseason minutes were limited.
In Kuminga’s mind, the Warriors have made it clear that they think they can win without him, and now he wants them to prove it without his help.
“Cuminga continues to close that,” Slater said of the expansion Golden State has provided. “He doesn’t want such a team-friendly deal, and sources say the idea of signing up isn’t appealing to him. Kuminga left this summer for a contract that signifies his commitment to him as a future building block for the Warriors and elsewhere.”
As the Warriors offer, the two-year deal doesn’t scream “building blocks” or “franchise players.” Rather, it signals the rest of the league that he is a bench player and if he is paid like a scrub, he will get minutes reflecting it.
For players who still have a lot to prove, demanding a chance to prove themselves is not a big question.