Jonathan Kuminga’s future with the Golden State Warriors is growing increasingly uncertain, as the restricted free agent forward continues to seek the kind of role — and payday — his draft peers have already secured. For Kuminga, the key to generational wealth is playing time and responsibility, two things the Warriors have yet to fully grant him.
According to Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle, Kuminga envisions himself in the same financial stratosphere as the rest of his 2021 NBA Draft lottery classmates. The difference is that while his peers have already cashed in with massive contracts, Kuminga has been stuck in a supporting role on a veteran-laden roster.
Left Behind by Draft Peers
The numbers tell the story.
No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, No. 3 Evan Mobley, No. 4 Scottie Barnes, and No. 8 Franz Wagner all secured five-year, $224 million maximum deals — contracts that could balloon to $269 million if they meet supermax benchmarks such as All-NBA honors. Cunningham and Mobley already reached those criteria last season, with Cunningham making Third-Team All-NBA and Mobley winning Defensive Player of the Year.
Elsewhere in the same class, No. 5 pick Jalen Suggs signed a five-year, $150 million deal, while No. 3 pick Jalen Green settled for a three-year, $105 million contract as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
Kuminga, taken seventh overall, has yet to sniff such security. Despite his flashes of brilliance, he never earned a consistent starting role or the nightly touches afforded to the others. Still, according to Kroichick, Kuminga views himself as one of the elite talents of the draft class.
“[Kuminga] apparently thinks he’s at the Cade Cunningham–Scottie Barnes level, where he should get that type of contract,” a league source told The San Francisco Chronicle. “… It’s really a quandary. I think it’s bad for the Warriors and bad for him.”
Kuminga Does Not Fit Kerr’s Puzzle
Getty Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shakes hands with Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga’s confidence isn’t without basis. During Golden State’s second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he averaged 24.3 points on 55% shooting and 38.9% from deep over the final four games while Stephen Curry was out with a hamstring injury. Those performances convinced him he’s ready for more.
But Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who has admitted that player development is not his greatest strength, downplayed the possibility of expanding Kuminga’s role given the team’s veteran-heavy roster.
“I’ve been asked to win,” Kerr told “The TK Show” in May. “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, Jimmy [Butler], and Draymond [Green] — and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”
That blunt assessment left Kuminga frustrated. He wants a fresh start elsewhere, but Golden State hasn’t found an offer it deems acceptable in sign-and-trade discussions.
Warriors’ Current Offer
The Warriors’ current proposal is a two-year, $45 million contract with a team option on the second year — a deal designed to give them flexibility to trade him midseason. They are also asking Kuminga to waive the inherent no-trade clause tied to such contracts.
Kuminga, however, doesn’t want to be used as a bargaining chip. He is pushing for a player option on the second year, or else he could take the $7.9 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
That route could set him up for a bidding war. ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks projects at least 10 teams — including the Lakers, Clippers, Pistons, Bulls, Hornets, Blazers, Jazz, Nets, and Wizards — to have significant cap space next summer. For a 22-year-old forward with star-level confidence and flashes of production, that could mean the kind of generational payday he has long been chasing.
For the Warriors, the dilemma is clear: maximize the present with veterans around Curry and or gamble on Kuminga’s future. Right now, both sides appear headed for a standoff that could determine not only Kuminga’s career trajectory, but also Golden State’s long-term direction.
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