Restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga rejected the Golden State Warriors‘ latest offer of $45 million for two years with a team option, ESPN reports.
The latest Warriors offer is $5 million bigger than their initial offer, which NBA insider Marc Stein previously reported.
“Word is that the Warriors’ best offers to Kuminga have topped out in the two-year $40 million range,” Stein wrote on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on July 28.
According to ESPN, the Warriors pushed for Kuminga to waive the built-in no-trade clause stipulated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement on the one-plus-one deal they were offering in their latest proposal. However, Kuminga does not want to cede “control to the franchise he believes has stunted and strung his career along for four seasons,” the ESPN report added.
Kuminga’s camp has explored sign-and-trades with the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings. But the Warriors are not amenable to any of their offers, and they are willing to have a disgruntled Kuminga on their roster next season, at least until the February trade deadline.
“In recent days, they have begun signaling a plan to cut off sign-and-trade conversations entirely, using their restricted free agency leverage to the fullest, sources said,” the ESPN report said.
Jonathan Kuminga Willing to Take Qualifying Offer
The Warriors sent an ultimatum to Kuminga: accept their two-year offer or the $7.9 million qualifying offer.
The 22-year-old forward is “expressing” his willingness to take the short-term risk and “potentially take the qualifying offer” to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, according to ESPN.
Taking the qualifying offer will doom the Warriors’ roster-building, predicts an anonymous rival executive.
“If he takes the qualifying offer, the Warriors are [expletive] from a team-building standpoint, because they need to get him on a deal where they can trade him,” the executive told The Athletic. “That’s the key for them.”
A $7.9 million salary will not bring back a significant player in return for the Warriors if they trade Kuminga at the trade deadline. They will need to attach more salaries to get a desirable player in return. Plus, no team will be willing to pay a premium price for just a half-season rental of Kuminga unless they can get his commitment to sign long-term in free agency.
Steve Kerr’s Strong Comments Hurt
GettyGolden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga chats with Steve Kerr.
The ESPN report implied Kuminga felt disrespected by the Warriors, which is why he’s considering the Suns and Kings’ offers. Kuminga views Golden State coach Steve Kerr “as someone who has made it clear there is not a defined big-minute opportunity every night with the Warriors,” according to ESPN.
Kerr went on record after their second-round exit that Kuminga will not be a starter if he returns next season.
“I’ve been asked to win,” Kerr told The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on “The TK Show” on May 21. “And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say, I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster we have, Steph [Curry], Jimmy [Butler] and Draymond [Green], and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”
Kuminga ended last season with a scoring flurry. He averaged 24.3 points on 55.4% shooting and 38.9% from the 3-point line during the final four games of their second-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But the Warriors did not win a single game with Kuminga leading the way in scoring without an injured Curry.
Those flashy numbers don’t mean a thing to Kerr if they are not winning.
So, here were are watching Kuminga and the Warriors in an ugly staring contest that has stalled the Warriors’ offseason.
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