With every new day, a fresh report or speculation is made about the Jonathan Kuminga-Warriors situation. And as the ordeal prolongs, for both the team and the player, it is becoming difficult to understand what the Warriors want out of the situation.
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Golden State would love to sign Kuminga to a 2-year, $45 million deal, with a team option for the second year. Or Kuminga can also accept a 1-year $7.9 million contract, but this would make it improbable for the Warriors to trade him before the February deadline.
This would not be ideal for the Warriors. And if it comes to pass, a lot of the blame will lie with the way the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings have conducted themselves in this situation. According to Bleacher Report, the two franchises have at least been open to the idea of putting some money on the table, which makes Kuminga believe he doesn’t need to sign the $45 million contract.
Reports suggest that the Suns are at the very least offering him exactly double what he stands to earn with the Warriors. That would be $90 million. The Warriors are not blameless either, as they are insisting on a second-year team option, which means Kuminga could potentially lose more than half of that $45 million.
The Kings, on the other hand, have presented the Warriors with Devin Carter, Dario Saric, and a couple of second-round picks and a protected first-round pick. This was even before the summer league started. But the Warriors are simply not interested. So what exactly are they waiting for?
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, “The Warriors have stood firm all along in that they don’t see why they should change their offer. They haven’t gotten any from Phoenix or from Sacramento that the Warriors deem would make them better or that would just be worth Jonathan Kuminga or better than Jonathan Kuminga.”
But that’s not the only problem. Fischer explained that “there’s only been sign and trade scenarios from those teams that would potentially lead Golden State in a salary matching standpoint to part ways with Buddy Hield or Moses Moody, two players that the Warriors just absolutely do not want to part with.”
According to Fischer, everyone is just waiting for one of these sides to blink in the “staring contest.” That said, with the deadline being October 1, nobody is in a hurry to make any big moves.
Fischer, however, remains hopeful that once the players start getting back together to start training for the next season, the wheels might be kicked into motion.
“Steph Curry gets in the building and starts looking around, Jimmy Butler gets in the building and starts looking around, and they are like, ‘Alright, we either want Jonathan Kuminga back here or we got to get some type of resolution,'” concluded Fischer.
As of right now, Kuminga’s team remains firmly poised with the idea of taking the qualifying offer unless the Warriors start doodling new numbers on their contract.
