Having already helped the Golden State Warriors out once by reportedly rejecting a five-year, $150 million extension before the season, Jonathan Kuminga could be on the verge of doing the franchise another favor.
The Warriors find themselves in a conundrum with Kuminga as he prepares for restricted free agency this offseason. Their unwillingness to grant him consistent and considerable minutes alongside the veteran trio of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green proves they'd probably like to execute a sign-and-trade, but CBA rules prevents them from getting full value given only 50% of the new contract counts as outgoing salary.
The surging speculation of Kuminga signing a shorter term deal might give Golden State a way of their current predicament though, with a growing likelihood that the young forward will remain in the Bay for a little while longer.
The Warriors could find it easier to trade Jonathan Kuminga once eligible
According to insiders Anthony Slater and Tim Kawakami on the latest Warriors Plus Minus podcast, Kuminga could be looking at a two-year contract with a third-year player option. Kawakami floats this could be in the range of a three-year, $75 million deal, mitigating the risks for the Warriors and making it easier to grant their wish of eventually trading the young forward for something of real value later down the track.
The idea of signing Kuminga this offseason just to trade him later has emerged due to the CBA rules, with Slater mentioning in a recent report that waiting for Kuminga's full salary to count would "loosen up some of the handcuffs."
Kuminga's new contract is evidently going to play in a role in later trade discussions with rival teams. If the 22-year-old and his camp were after a $100+ million contract right now, then Golden State's ability to move that much guaranteed money could be more difficult and impact what they could get back in a deal.
A shorter term contract is going to be much easier to move and reduces the chances of the Warriors potentially getting stuck with Kuminga's contract over the long-term. Of course, a two plus one deal could also work in Kuminga's favor, with the hope for him that he can opt out in the 2027 offseason and secure the sort of lucrative deal he initially expected this time around.
However, given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Kuminga's role and playing time with Golden State, this proposed contract framework works much better for the franchise. They will have to give the former seventh overall pick a prominent role to maintain his trade value, but this could just give them an opportunity to thread the needle in an otherwise complicated situation.
