The Golden State Warriors find themselves in a tricky situation with the restricted free agency of Jonathan Kuminga.
On one hand, they wanted to do right by Kuminga. But on the other hand, their championship window remains open as long as Stephen Curry is playing.
The arrival of Jimmy Butler, who the Warriors expect Kuminga to become, added another layer of complexity to the situation.
“We’re trying to be responsible,” an unnamed Warriors front office executive told Keith Smith of Spotrac. “With the aprons and hard caps and all of that, you can’t just throw money around. We still love Jonathan. We’re hopeful we can figure out a way to strike a balance that works for him and for us. But we’re not going to compromise our roster-building ability now, or in the future. We have to be responsible in the way we build our team.”
Wide Gap in Extension Talks
Kuminga and the Warriors are far apart in extension talks just like last year when they did not come to terms and let the former No. 7 pick go into the season without a new contract.
So, here they are trying to sort out things that have been dragging on and holding off the Warriors’ other free agency moves.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors are not keen on meeting Kuminga’s asking price.
“His agent Aaron Turner has held numerous discussions with Warriors officials in Las Vegas, league sources tell The Stein Line, with the hope of securing a contract — even a short-term contract — that pays at least $25 million in average annual salary … whether that’s to stay with the Warriors or switch teams via sign-and-trade,” Fischer wrote on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on July 17.
The Warriors “have expressed reluctance to go that high in price over a long-term agreement,” Fischer added, citing league sources.
Since then, communication has been sparse between the two camps, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole reported on July 23, citing league sources.
CBA Complicates Sign-and-Trade Scenarios
If they are not going to find a compromise, a sign-and-trade is the other path to resolve this matter. However, a quick in the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the lack of interest in Kuminga are further complicating a sign-and-trade.
The final figure in a new contract for Kuminga will also matter to the team that will trade for him because of a quirk in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Only 50% of his outgoing salary counts for matching purposes. But his full salary counts as the incoming salary for whichever team acquires him.
For example, if Kuminga signs for $25 million annual average salary, the Warriors can only trade him for a player or players worth just $12.5 million. Their trade partner, on the other hand, will absorb the full $25 million in their books.
Kuminga is hoping a sign-and-trade materializes for him to get out of Golden State, where he has no defined role under coach Steve Kerr.
But the Warriors are not ready to just salary dump him.
Warriors’ High Asking Price
According to Fischer, the Warriors are “seeking some level of first-round draft compensation in any theoretical trade that ships Kuminga elsewhere.”
Anthony Slater, previously of The Athletic, reported on July 3, before his move to ESPN, reported a more specific package the Warriors want in return for Kuminga.
“They’ve drawn inbound calls in recent days, most notably from the Sacramento Kings, who floated an offer of Devin Carter, Dario Šarić and two second-round picks, league sources said. The Warriors have so far balked at what they felt was a buy-low attempt, league sources said,” Slater wrote.
The Warriors are looking for “a promising young player, plus a first-round pick” in a sign-and-trade for Kuminga, according to Slater.
Will the Warriors be able to find that deep into the offseason? If not, will they lower their asking price? If no sign-and-trade materializes, can they enter into a compromise and revisit it at the trade deadline?
The direction the Warriors will go will dictate their offseason, which so far is hanging in the balance.
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