NBA Insider Reveals Prediction for Warriors Kuminga Contract Negotiations

The Warriors-Jonathan Kuminga saga is going to come to an end soon. In just a few days, Kuminga will have to decide if he wants to accept the contract offer the Warriors have made or if he will pick up his qualifying offer. Taking the qualifying offer means Kuminga will be taking a lot less guaranteed money for next season and will be betting on himself to have a big year and get paid next offseason. It is a huge risk.

Marc Stein of the Stein Line recently gave an update on the Warriors' offseason, including a prediction of what will happen with the Jonathan Kuminga contract situation.

Stein believes that Kuminga will end up signing a multi-year deal with the Warriors, although he didn’t specify how long or whether the deal would include team or player options.

This would be the smartest move for Kuminga: take the guaranteed money, whether on a two- or three-year deal, and continue to try and improve and prove yourself. If he plays well, some team, including the Warriors, will be happy to extend him again for even more money. If he gets hurt or doesn’t play up to the level he believes he can reach, at least he will have secured a good chunk of life-changing money for himself and his family.

If Kuminga does decide to take the qualifying offer, it could be a disaster. That would show that not only is Kuminga more interested in making money for himself than helping the Warriors win, but he also would be spending the whole season trying to prove himself rather than playing whatever role the Warriors ask of him.

If Kerr doesn’t like what he sees, Kuminga could get benched. If he gets benched, then that big contract he is hoping to get next offseason may not be there. That’s why Stein’s prediction should — and will likely — come true: take the money and lock in that security.