Where the stalemate stands between Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors

NBC Sports

20 hours ago

By Oct. 1, we will know where Jonathan Kuminga is playing basketball next season.
That's the date Kuminga would have to pick up the $7.9 million qualifying offer and play next season with the Warriors. That is a 'nuclear option' (as Sam Amick of The Athletic put it) that neither side wants, but Kuminga's social media post that he is willing to bet on himself suggests he's considering it.
Jonathan Kuminga's latest Instagram story: 'I'll bet on myself all day' with his agent tagged and pictured next to him pic.twitter.com/AHmpNaIgZE
There has been a lot of sound and fury around Kuminga's restricted free agency, so far signifying nothing. Here is where things stand right now, according to multiple reports.
• Kuminga rejects Warriors' offer. The Golden State Warriors offered Kuminga a two-year, $45 million contract. While Kuminga would like a larger payday — his agent reportedly countered with three years, $82 million — the bigger reasons he rejected the offer was because Golden State is insisting on a team option for the second season, and that Kuminga waive the built-in no-trade clause would come with a two-year deal, reports Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of ESPN.
• The money is similar everywhere. Kuminga reportedly was seeking something close to $30 million a season, but the market is not offering more than the low $20 million a year range. The Warriors' offer was two years, $45 million ($22.5 million per year average). The Kings offered three years, $63 million ($21 million average), Amick reported. Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, spoke with Phoenix, which reportedly offered him four years, $90 million — exactly what the Warriors offered per year, just with more years.
• Suns, Kings trade offers not impressing Warriors. The hope for both Kuminga and the Warriors at the start of free agency was to find a sign-and-trade that landed Kuminga in a new home and brought players and picks back to the Bay Area that the Warriors wanted. Sacramento and Phoenix have talked sign-and-trade with the Warriors, but no offer has come close to being accepted.
Sacramento offered a package based around Dario Saric, Devin Carter and a lottery-protected first-round pick, but the Warriors rejected it, reports Jason Alexander at the Sacramento Bee. The Warriors want the pick to be unprotected. They would also like Keon Ellis included in the deal, but he is off-limits according to the report (as is Keegan Murray, but that should go without saying).
Phoenix's trade offer is rumored to be something along the lines of Royce O'Neale, Nick Richards and three second-round picks, but Amick reports the Warriors have shown 'zero interest' in that offer, adding: 'Per team sources, the talks between the Suns and Warriors have never progressed in any serious manner.'
Does Kuminga take the qualifying offer? We are a long way from that needing to happen, and there is good reason for both sides to find a middle ground before then. For the Warriors, that qualifying offer comes with a no-trade clause, meaning they might not be able to trade him and next summer Kuminga walks out the door for nothing. For Kuminga, playing a season at $7.9 million leaves a lot of money on the table. In a career where your window to earn top dollar is not very long, and that doesn't even mention the risk of serious injury or something that could hurt future earnings.
Kuminga, 22, averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 47 games last season (he missed time with an ankle injury).
Right now, more than six weeks away from training camp even opening and a couple of months out from the Oct. 1 deadline, everyone can do their public posturing. There is some pressure on the Warriors to resolve the Kuminga situation so they can formally sign Al Horford and finalize their roster, but they can afford to wait a while. Eventually, the sides will likely find a middle ground.
For now, Kuminga is the biggest offseason drama still on the board, and that's drawing a lot of interest.