Promising 6-Foot-7 Forward Just Rejected the Warriors' 3-Year $75 Million Offer

The Golden State Warriors are trying to complete their roster for next season. Right now, they have nine players signed to their 15-man roster. This has been the story for weeks. The Warriors can’t make any free agency signings until the Jonathan Kuminga contract negotiations come to an end. 

A recent report from ESPN provided an update on the Warriors-Kuminga situation, which included information on the Warriors' latest contract offer to the young forward. 

“The Warriors have strengthened their effort. Late last week, Dunleavy offered Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million deal with a team option in the third season, sources told ESPN. That's $48.3 million guaranteed in the first two seasons and basically the same per-year salary as fellow restricted free agent Josh Giddey, who re-signed with the Chicago Bulls for four years and $100 million. The difference: Half the length and a team-controlled third season, and a subliminal understanding that the contract is more trade asset than commitment to a partnership.”

The Warriors seem to be budging in negotiations, while Kuminga and his team aren’t. This new $75 million offer to Kuminga is a fair deal. 

Kuminga has shown a ton of promise during his first four NBA seasons, but unfortunately, his productivity has been partly theoretical. Sure, Kuminga hasn’t gotten consistent minutes throughout his career, and when his playing time is consistent, he has put up impressive numbers. However, he has been given ample opportunity to show that he can contribute to a winning culture and hasn’t really done it. That’s why the Warriors are worried about offering him big money. When winning matters most, flashes of athletic dominance and flurries of defensive greatness aren’t enough.

For Kuminga, no matter what he perceives his value to be, he still hasn’t accomplished much in the NBA. Asking for $30+ million a year without a solid track record just isn’t that realistic. 

Here are a few other players who are making $25 million next season (roughly equal to what Kuminga would get paid with the most recent Warriors contract offer): Draymond Green, Fred VanVleet, Mikal Bridges, and Trey Murphy. 

Green and VanVleet are proven veterans, All-Stars, and NBA champions. Bridges had a season where he averaged 26.1 points per game. Trey Murphy is one of the best 3-and-D role players in the league. 

Kuminga isn’t better than a single one of these players, and he may never be. It may be time for Kuminga to look hard in the mirror and realize that the most recent offer from the Warriors is pretty damn good. Nearly $50 million guaranteed for a player with limited accomplishments like Kuminga is amazing. It may be time to let this stalemate end.