During the tumultuous 2023-24 season, Jonathan Kuminga was a silver lining for the Golden State Warriors. His exceptional play made him a critical player for the franchise and he’s now looking to land a long-term deal with the team. The Warriors will likely have to reward their young star with a massive extension, which could be north of $200 million, similar to Franz Wagner’s new deal.
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Per Warriors insider Evan Giddings, after a breakout 2023-24 season, Kuminga would consider himself worthy of signing an extension as big as the Orlando Magic star’s five-year, $224 million deal. On Bay Area Sports station 95.7 Game, the insider conveyed,
“I think Jonathan Kuminga now sees himself as a $200 million player.”
"I think Jonathan Kuminga now sees himself as a $200 million player." – @evanAgiddings
How do you think Franz Wagner's rookie max extension impacts Kuminga's future?
🎧 https://t.co/ANAKvyx8kV pic.twitter.com/2vIgYg2ouk
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 5, 2024
Wagner’s new deal could have a huge impact during the Warriors’ negotiations with Kuminga. However, unlike Magic, who had a load of cap space, the Warriors likely won’t be able to hand their young star a $200 million contract. They did part ways with Klay Thompson and will likely offload other big contracts to free up cap space. However, even then they could be hesitant to hand Kuminga a max deal.
Statistically, during the 2023-24 season, the Magic forward put up 19.7 points per game compared to Kuminga’s 16.1. However, the Warriors Wing shot 52.9% from the field compared to Wagner’s 48.2%. Rebounding-wise, they had almost similar numbers, while Wagner had 3.7 assists per game compared to Kuminga’s 2.2.
While Wagner is a better three-point shooter, he struggled last season. The Forward made 1.3 triples per game on 28.1% shooting from the floor while Kuminga had 0.7 per game on 32.1%. Thus, in terms of stats, there may not be a palpable difference.
There is a chance that he may at least land a Jordan Poole-like contract. In 2022, the Warriors rewarded the guard with a four-year, $128 million contract. While it is not remotely close to Wagner’s deal, this seems like the range the Warriors would consider retaining Kuminga for. But comparing his numbers to Wagner’s indicates that he may fetch a higher value in the current NBA market.
Defensively, Kuminga is a better player but the Magic athlete has been improving in that regard. Therefore, the speculations about Jonathan Kuminga bagging a $200 million contract are not misplaced. However, there remain doubts about whether the Warriors can even afford such a deal.
If the team decides to part ways with the young forward, he’ll have no shortage of suitors, who’d hand him a contract similar to the one Wagner signed with the Magic. It remains to be seen whether the Warriors and Kuminga can come to terms on a new deal or if they go their separate ways.
