The Warriors made a new contract offer to restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga last week, hoping to end the standoff that has prevented them from completing other offseason moves, sources tell Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN.
Golden State’s latest proposal is a three-year, $75.2MM deal with a team option in the third season, according to the authors’ sources. It includes $48.3MM in guaranteed money over the first two years, which Slater and Charania point out is nearly equal to the annual salary that restricted free agent Josh Giddey received last week in his new contract with Chicago. They add that the major difference is that Giddey received four guaranteed years with no options on either side, while Kuminga would most likely be a trade asset under his next contract rather than part of the team’s long-term future.
The offer is an increase from the two-year, $45MM contract that was presented to Kuminga and his representatives earlier this summer. That deal also included a team option on the final season and a demand that Kuminga waive his inherent no-trade clause. The authors describe the Warriors’ insistence on those provisions, even in the new proposal, as a “major part” of the prolonged standoff. Their sources say Golden State’s only offer without a team option was for $54MM over three years, which brings the annual salary down to $18MM.
Kuminga has been requesting a player option to give him more control over his future, sources tell Slater and Charania. He and agent Aaron Turner have been willing to accept a yearly salary in the $20MM range as a tradeoff, but they believe agreeing to a team option should bring Kuminga’s salary up to about $30MM per year. The Warriors consider a player option to be a “nonstarter,” according to the authors.
The latest proposal from Kuminga and his agent is described as a “souped-up version” of Golden State’s qualifying offer, which is also still on the table. Kuminga would receive more money than the $8MM QO that was tendered in late June, but it would be a one-year deal that makes him an unrestricted free agent next summer and allows the Warriors to shop him as an expiring contract heading into the trade deadline. It also creates the possibility that Kuminga could spend another full season with the team and start negotiations fresh next offseason.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. turned down that idea, the authors state, as owner Joe Lacob is reportedly unwilling to accept any deal that puts the Warriors at risk of losing Kuminga next summer while getting nothing in return.
Lacob has been a strong believer in Kuminga ever since he advocated drafting him ahead of Franz Wagner in 2021, according to the authors. Sources tell them that Lacob refused to part with Kuminga in a proposed trade with Chicago for Alex Caruso two years ago, and he remained a vocal supporter even when Kuminga was removed from Steve Kerr’s rotation last season. But sources tell the authors that Lacob has never intervened with Kerr on Kuminga’s behalf and has allowed the coach to make his own decisions about who gets on the court.
Kerr has indicated that Kuminga would see ample playing time this season if he opts to re-sign, according to Slater and Charania’s sources. However, Kuminga’s camp has pointed to comments that Kerr made during the playoffs — stating that Kuminga isn’t a natural fit alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler — and they suggest that staying with Golden State might not be the best move for Kuminga’s career.
Before the Warriors shut down the idea of a sign-and-trade, they received offers from the Suns (who intended to pay Kuminga $80MM to $88MM over four years) and Kings (three years at $63MM to $66MM), who were both willing to give him a player option and make him their starting power forward.
However, the Warriors weren’t satisfied with the return in the proposed deals, which reportedly would have brought Royce O’Neale and second-round draft compensation from Phoenix or Malik Monk and a future first-rounder from Sacramento.
With training camp starting in two weeks, the authors state that Kuminga’s best hope is for Lacob to intervene, either to give him the financial compensation that he wants or ease his pathway to another team. The Warriors have several moves on hold that can’t be completed until the Kuminga situation is resolved, so a final decision will have to be made soon.
Well, finally some progress. Now the question is whether Kuminga is dumb enough to still sign the QO, or understands this extra year is in his best interest because it will help him get traded.
So Kuminga was right all along. Most of long time fans here were wrong all along. The whole world knew Warriors were going to blink!! What a stupid game warriors were playing the whole summer. Just like that $45m to $75m…. Now, QO is out of question, but the real negotiation has just started! Personally it’s either 4 yr for $100m or somehow he will be traded in the next 2 weeks .Warrios have been hoping that other teams will blink and offer better assets.
“General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. turned down that idea, the authors state, as owner Joe Lacob is reportedly unwilling to accept any deal that puts the Warriors at risk of losing Kuminga next summer while getting nothing in return.”
And exactly wtf is going to happen after he signs the QO? Am I missing something?
I guess Lacob thinks that JK is not stupid enough to take only $8 million for next year.
Joe thinks there’s going to be some form of $22 million plus that will be worked out.
Either two years or three years and hopefully team option language, not player option?
I can’t wait to see how this all works out. It’s a mess either way.
This looks like a final offer for Kuminga. The ball is now in his court to take or throw back. He is going to need to have an all star season to get a better offer than what was given to him.
@GaryRSW
I hope he will figure out that he’s getting pretty close to what he wants by GS essentially matching (a much better overall player) Giddey’s pay while maximizing his chance to get traded (since Kerr’s claim that he’ll give him more minutes can’t be trusted).
Losing ~$15 mil plus gambling on what his market value will be in a year merely to be able to stop a trade to one of the 5-6 teams that would have the space to sign him at $25 mil/yr doesn’t seem worth it.
Kuminga wants a max extension and nothing less. At this moment in time Kuminga is taking a QO and play out the year waiting on that max extention. What makes no sense is the 2 year deal is better than taking a QO since he gets paid more. No team is going to trade for him under that deal unless they are going to give him heavy minutes which he wants.
With all respect arc I say it makes zero sense to take $8 million for one year when you can take $22 million or now even $24 million for one year and probably two years.
So $48 million and you delay your free agency for ONE YEAR.
To me that’s the biggest no-brainer in the history of the universe.
But I’ve said it here repeatedly and been shut down by other basketball fans so maybe I’m not seeing reality here?
But at 22 years old, I can’t see the difference between waiting one year, and waiting two years? Especially when the difference is $48 million and $8 million? But that’s just me.
I think the worst part of this is Kuminga doesn’t seem willing to improve his game. If he accepted the Warriors offer, he could have spent the summer working out with the guy who replaced him in the lineup, Butler. He could have learned why he was replaced and how to improve. Butler said at the end of last season he was willing to work with Kuminga. Butler and Draymond have been working out together. It would have been an opportunity for him to improve his value. Missed opportunity.
Yes Giant, I hear you. I guess he’s overseas doing his thing.
I think rip city nailed it below.
He wants a divorce and he’s willing to take a massive pay cut to do it. He’s just waiting till the last minute in case he can get a higher dollar amount under his terms.
But if they’re not under his terms, he’s going to take the QO and walk next summer.
I didn’t understand that line of thinking at all, but I see it clearly now for some reason. Thanks to rip city.., must’ve been the wording he used or something He wrote helped turn the light on fir me.
It makes no sense to take a QO but his agent is filling his head with a max extension dream. Same agent that told him last year to turn down the same deal Giddy just received.
@arc89
But if he takes the QO, he not only loses a guaranteed $48.3 mil for just $8 mil but also his Bird rights, which significantly affects his potential future earnings.
I guess he’s still trying to squeeze another concession out of the FO, but I’m pretty sure they have decided there won’t be a player option.
Turning down the contract last year is why he will not take the other offers. He will be losing money compared to last year’s offer. We have no idea what his agent is telling him. probably he will get that $150 million deal next year which i highly doubt will happen. He laso is making himself less wanted since other teams see it about a big pay day
Oh gawd…At this point, the Warriors are much better off letting him walk. Addition by subtraction.
Face facts. The offense struggles with him in it no matter what they do. He has had 4 years to figure it out. It can’t be Kerr’s fault. They have made it clear what he needs to do. Plenty of other players have figured it out. Hell, Butler figured it out in his first game. Why can’t Kuminga? Some players just aren’t coach able?
What is he going to accomplish by taking the QO? What does he think his value is these days? The Suns and Kings weren’t offering that much. The Nets could easily signed him without the Warriors matching. Why would his value increase next off season? What team is going to be willing to cater to his demands?
The new offer proves that Warriors were negotiating in bad faith and still values Kuminga. Put your bias aside. QO is the worst thing that can happen for Warriors and it will not happen no matter what as long as Lacob is the owner and Curry is on the team.
He wants a divorce, he does not want to play in Golden State. He does not want to play for Kerr. He wants to pick where he gets to play. Free Agent. And he is willing to take a pay cut via the QO to be a free agent next year. The $15mm plus he loses in year 1 he believes he will make up in future contracts. If he signs anything with the Warriors he gets traded and he loses all control where he plays for a couple of years. Play someplace where you are happy! Good for him
OK, that makes sense. You explain it very well.
It’s a simple concept but it’s just hard for me to see it.
But you do a good job here in simplifying something that is essentially simple lol
I understand he doesn’t want to play for GS. But, is he really going to get what he wants? He wants to be the star, a foundational player, an All-Star. He hasn’t shown he can be those things. One writer said that Kuminga sounds a bit delusional.
I guess he’s taking a step back from that. The foundation is that he knows he won’t be a star in San Francisco so he wants out number one.
I guess he’ll worry about number two and number three later when he moves to the new team?
@Rip City
If he actually believes he will make up the $15 mil he’s going to lose without his Bird rights, he’s delusional.
And ofc, he doesn’t get to “pick where he gets to play”, the NTC only allows him to pick where he doesn’t play from a limited choice of options from whatever teams decide to make him an offer next season (projected to be only 5 teams with enough space to offer $25 mil/yr).
That’s a huge gamble with a low probability of success.
NBA is OK !!!
I just figured out that he was probably going to take the QO !!!
Now you’re messing me up and making that sound like a bad idea again.., like I’ve been saying for three months lol.
I just switched sides and now you’re refuting the logic behind the one year QO deal and hitting the UFA road?
I’m all over the place just trying to have an open mind and not be so rigid in my opinions. My goodness what a wishy-washy place to be.
A man with two opinions has none. This just needs to be settled so we can move on with our lives !! What a soap opera I’ve created in my mind.
Some things can be bigger than pure dollar value for humans. I know, tough to fathom. At this point it feels like JK feels disrespected by GS, and is willing to say either let me go for nothing or give me more guaranteed and meaningful say-so over a trade destination.
And if he’s willing to forfeit money over a principle, whether I agree with it or not, more people need to make decisions on factors beyond money. It’s not like he’ll be broke for taking $9 million next year and telling the Warriors have a good day.
Yes luvhoops, I get it now. After 3 months of standing firm in my position, I finally can see the light of where JK is standing.
That’s why I love it here. I think I’m right and then I learn something new or come to a certain realization for some reason. Good stuff guys.
Every decision comes with a risk/reward analysis. If he thinks the potential reward is worth the risk, fine with me, but IMO it’s very likely to end up being a substantial net negative.
With Kuminga off the books and the salary cap rising by $11 million, it seems the Warriors will have about $30 million to play with in Free Agency. So, they might not lose as much.
So if JK takes the QO and there’s no trade, this is going to make for a loooong season of some level of uncertainty on the floor and in the locker room. He really doesn’t wanna be here. Yikes what a mess.
It’s really not as complicated as everyone is making it out to be. Kuminga wants to be a Warrior but he wants some control over his future and to not have to play the next 2-3 years with the “will he be used in a trade” or “will the Warriors decline his team option to open up cap space” cloud hanging over his head. Basically he doesn’t want to resign for 2+ years only for the Warriors to flip him in a few months to a less desirable location that he’s now stuck in for the duration of his contract.
The Warriors have shown very little that they actually envision him as a long term part of the team considering they extended Draymond, traded and extended Jimmy Butler, and Kuminga barely played in the playoffs (plus Kerr’s comments; and Kerr’s recent assurances is basically lip service at this point). At this point, Kuminga should just take the QO and hope for the best this season. Yes he’d be betting on himself by taking the QO but that also means he’s a free agent after the season and can choose his next team…might be for less than what the Warriors are offering him right now but at least its a team of his choice who would presumably envision him as a long term piece.
I don’t think that money is the issue here. They are not far apart on $$.
But the two sides don’t trust each other. Surely, this divorce will happen. The question is when and what will be the terms. Kuminga wants more control over how and when he gets traded and to whom. The Warriors want to maintain that control. For me those are the key issues – trust and control. I hope they find a compromise.