Less than a week before the rookie contract extension deadline, Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors aren’t close to striking a deal, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.
But while a deal appears unlikely at the moment, the door isn’t shut. Like most negotiations of this ilk, conversations are expected to pick up in detail in the coming days ahead of the Oct. 21 deadline approaches.
Kuminga, 22, is entering his fourth NBA season. He and the team have expressed mutual interest in a rookie extension, and Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has publicly described talks as productive.
Still, there isn’t a substantial offer on the table for Kuminga at this point, sources told this news organization.
Both Kuminga and Moses Moody are eligible for extensions until next Monday. If they don’t reach agreements, they’ll become restricted free agents next summer, with Golden State maintaining the chance to match any offer sheet they receive.
“Regardless of whether we get something done or not, we want those guys here,” Dunleavy said in late September. “Just because you don’t get an extension done doesn’t mean they’re not going to be here for a long time.”
The Warriors’ prioritization of optionality looms large for both Kuminga and Moody.
If the Warriors extend them, they become poison-pilled, making it extremely difficult to trade them during the season. Without extensions, their 2024-25 salaries — $7.6 million and $5.8 million, respectively — can be packaged rather easily, as they’re affordable for effective, young players.
Dunleavy has embraced operating rationally and not panicking. Draymond Green praised him specifically for that trait at media day. What rationality means for Kuminga’s case, though, is the pursuit of a deal that makes sense for both sides — and what makes sense for Kuminga isn’t necessarily the same as what makes sense for the Warriors.
Many of Kuminga’s draft-class contemporaries have already gotten paid. Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Franz Wagner each inked maximum rookie extensions — worth five years and at least $224 million — with their respective teams.
Kuminga’s camp isn’t hard-lined at that maximum figure, a source said, but it’s hard to imagine him settling for significantly less. If his ascendance continues, he could earn a maximum-level deal as a restricted free agent next summer.
Despite playing the 14th-most minutes in the 2021 draft class, Kuminga’s 10.1 win shares rank seventh. Last season, Kuminga made a significant leap, increasing his scoring average from 9.9 to 16.1 points per game. He’s already a tremendous threat in transition and as a downhill scorer; among rotation forwards shorter than 6-foot-10, Kuminga’s 52.9% field goal percentage last season ranked 11th.
Yet because of the situation Kuminga joined, he hasn’t had the same type of role or usage as players like Cunningham, Mobley, Barnes or Wagner.
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Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
