The Golden State Warriors‘ top priority this offseason is determining Jonathan Kuminga‘s future as the fourth-year forward enters restricted free agency after they did not agree to an extension before this season.
According to Clutchpoint’s Brett Siegel, the Warriors expressed confidence that they hold the leverage in another round of extension talks with Kuminga this summer.
“Although owner Joe Lacob has made it clear that money won’t stand in the way of him building a championship-level roster, how much money will this organization be willing to devote to Kuminga this offseason? Since the free agent market will be weaker than usual, Kuminga’s market will be limited.
This will likely be an advantage for the Warriors, as they could sign Kuminga to a reasonable contract instead of breaking the bank on a deal that exceeds $30 million annually. The Warriors, sources said, are not too concerned with their young forward’s pending free agency, especially considering that no other team has the ability to sign him to a massive offer sheet,” Siegel wrote.
Biggest Threat to Lure Jonathan Kuminga Away From The Bay
Except the Brooklyn Nets, who have the most cap room in free agency, loom large as the biggest threat to throw a big offer sheet at Kuminga, according to Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus.
“The Nets could gamble that a solid offer is enough to pry the forward loose for less than he wants but more than Golden State will pay. They could give him a four-year, $105.5 million offer sheet starting at $28.5 million (if it descends). Brooklyn can include a trade kicker and advances to try to swing Kuminga its way,” Pincus wrote.
Still, a $28.5 million annual average salary falls short of what the Warriors were willing to offer Kuminga in their failed extension talks before the season.
Kuminga’s camp was “aiming for” a $35 million annual average salary, The Athletic reported in the fall, but the Warriors were only willing to go $30 million.
But on top of having the most money to spend this summer, the Nets also have playing time and a starting role to offer should they heavily pursue Kuminga.
At the very least, the Warriors have the right to match any offer sheet and if Kuminga doesn’t want to stay, a sign-and-trade could be executed providing the Warriors something in return for their investment in the former lottery pick.
Jimmy Butler as Mentor or Insurance?
The Warriors now have Jimmy Butler, a six-time All-Star who is light years ahead of Kuminga in terms of experience and impact on winning. But Kuminga also represents the future for the Warriors, who only have committed to a two-year window after this season to the trio of Stephen Curry, Butler and Draymond Green, along with coach Steve Kerr, whose relationship with the young forward has gradually improved from being contentious at the start.
At the moment, Kerr could only offer a Sixth Man role for Kuminga, raising spacing issues as the reason of his reluctance to play him and Butler together for an extensive time on the court.
“Jimmy is, I’ve talked about this, he’s one of the best [isolation] players in the league,” Kerr said, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, following Thursday’s practice in New Orleans. “So if you’re gonna run iso-offense, you need spacing, proper cutting and proper movement. Jimmy just got here, obviously, one month ago so we’re still adapting your spacing. Within those [isolation plays] requires us to put the right combinations out there and teach the guys where to be and how to connect the plays and JK is still adapting.”
Can the 22-year-old Kuminga wait another season or two to get his legitimate shot at stardom? The Warriors and Kuminga are facing a crossroads at season’s end.
