Warriors rumors: The 2 reasons Jonathan Kuminga is declining $45 million contract offer
The Jonathan Kuminga standstill has left the Golden State Warriors unable to make necessary roster changes this offseason. Although the Warriors have expressed interest in retaining the 22-year-old restricted free agent, ongoing problems regarding Kuminga's resistance to returning and his demands on a potential new contract have left the two sides far apart in negotiations this free agency period.
To this point, the Warriors have made a handful of offers to Kuminga and his representation. The most recent proposal was a short-term deal in the ballpark of $20 million and $23 million in annual average value, league sources told ClutchPoints recently.
This report was confirmed by Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of ESPN on Wednesday, citing that the Warriors offered a two-year, $45 million contract.
However, this contract proposal included a team option for the 2026-27 season, and the language of this proposal outlined that Kuminga would need to waive the built-in no-trade clause. He would receive this no-trade clause as a result of the deal being a one-plus-one contract. Kuminga declined this offer because of the leverage it would give Golden State to control his immediate future.
Ultimately, negotiations between Kuminga and the Warriors come down to whether he truly wants to stay with Golden State. So far, all indications this offseason point in the direction of Kuminga wanting a fresh start where he can earn starter-like minutes and have a chance to expand on star-like qualities he has shown flashes of during his tenure with the Dubs.
Next to Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, Kuminga's overall value is limited. That is why he and his representation have explored multiple sign-and-trade avenues to try and find a new home this offseason.
Jonathan Kuminga's decision to decline Warriors
While there are teams interested in Kuminga, including the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, there isn't much of a market with the calendar about to flip to August. Not to mention, the Warriors have not shown any interest in the assets both the Kings and Suns could offer in potential sign-and-trade scenarios.
Golden State holds all the leverage in these sign-and-trade negotiations, as neither team can sign Kuminga to an offer sheet given their cap situations. The only way they could acquire him is with the Warriors' help, which is why Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Dubs' front office can hold firm on their asking price.
At this point, Kuminga's options are clear.
The first option is accepting the Warriors' two-year, $45 million contract proposal, where he will earn just under $22 million for the 2025-26 season. This is the most money Kuminga has seen in an offer for the first year of a new contract this offseason. But the problem with this proposal from Golden State is the team option and the notion that he would need to waive his implicit no-trade clause.
It is believed that the Warriors will not adjust this offer.
There is then the option of accepting his $7.9 million qualifying offer to stay with the Warriors. The problem here is that Kumings would essentially lock himself in with the Dubs for the 2025-26 season, he would have a no-trade clause, and this relationship would become even more toxic than it already is.
Essentially, the Warriors would have no reason to play Kuminga, and he would accept significantly less money for the whole year in hopes of earning a much larger contract as an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Time will tell what the future holds for the Warriors and Kuminga, as this battle of contract proposals lingers on with no clear finish line in sight.
Related: Warriors rumors: Jonathan Kuminga's agent pitched $82 million deal among contract 'frameworks'
Related: Jonathan Kuminga makes AfroBasket decision amid Warriors contract standoff
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