Warriors offer 2-yr, $45 mil. Kuminga declines cause he doesn't want to have a TO & wants the Built-in NTC
The Golden State Warriors made another push to retain Jonathan Kuminga over the past several days, but the restricted free agent is continuing to decline their two-year, $45 million contract offer, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Kuminga's decision is due in large part to the Warriors' insistence on having a team option for the second season and their unwillingness to let him maintain the built-in no-trade clause, sources said.
Kuminga's Agent's Counter Offer: 3-yr, $82 mil
His agent, Aaron Turner, presented the Warriors a few frameworks during a pair of summer league meetings in Las Vegas, including a three-year deal worth around $82 million that allowed the Warriors to stay below the second apron to use the taxpayer midlevel exception.
Kuminga prefers the Kings & Suns' S&T Situation. Warriors Might Decline any S&T Entirely
Kuminga and Turner have used July to explore their sign-and-trade options. The most significant negotiations have been with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, getting proposals up to four years approaching $90 million total, including a player option for the final season, sources said. Phoenix has made the most lucrative push via sign-and-trade.
The Warriors have been uninterested in the trade returns from the Kings and Suns for Kuminga, sources said. In recent days, they have begun signaling a plan to cut off sign-and-trade conversations entirely, using their restricted free agency leverage to the fullest, sources said.
Kuminga prefers the longer-term offers presented by the Kings and Suns because he believes they signify a fresh start, a larger guaranteed role, a promised starting position and a greater level of respect and career control, shown in part through the player option, sources said. Phoenix's proposal is also nearly $70 million more guaranteed than the Warriors' offer.
The Suns and Kings have pitched Kuminga on the type of defined role that has eluded him with the Warriors
Warriors believe they still have the Best Offer ($21.7m/yr vs $19.8m/yr). Kuminga doesn't want the Warriors to have that much Control
Kuminga believes accepting the Warriors' two-year offer with a team option, along with forfeiting trade veto rights, cedes too much control to a franchise he believes has stunted and strung his career along for four seasons, sources said.
The Warriors, sources said, believe they have the best offer on the table for Kuminga because of the highest starting salary ($21.7 million next season compared to $19.8 million elsewhere) and the two-year team option concept.
But the Warriors have requested that he waive that implied no-trade clause, sources said, similar to what D'Angelo Russell did for his Lakers contract in the summer of 2023.
37 comments
I’m done with this guy. Dude think he’s worth more than he really is
He needs to fire his agent. Turning down 45 mil over 2 years, way more than other execs value him at for hope that the warriors will raise to close 90 mil over 3 years is straight up delusional. This aint ending anytime soon for sure, dragging on and on
Hold firm. He aint got no motion.
Dennis Shroder
Let him walk for nothing. Take a stand as a franchise.
Team option on a two year deal is an insult
Dunleavy is a brutal negotiator and I love it. You need a cutthroat leader in the FO to make sure team building is prioritized over emotions.
Getting closer and closer to the qualifying offer getting signed and I genuinely think that would be catastrophic for next season.
For a dude that was unplayable in the playoffs that is a great deal. Let him walk
Take the QO JK and GTFO the team I root for
needed to trade him last offseason or at the deadline
Then turn it down and take the QO if you think leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table is smart.
Fucking dumb of an agent
2 year player option for third year 3/65
If he gets traded somewhere he’ll have 42 million reasons to abide the extra year.
He can negotiate w other teams all he wants, amounts to squat unless Ws are offered something good.
This mf dumb as hell. Probably one of the most unproven players in his draft class but wants close to 30 mil a year. I wish they rescinded the qualifying offer when they had the chance. Pay him the 8 mil and let him rot on the bench, fuck it. I wholeheartedly believe moody is better at this point for no reason other than accepting that he was given a role on a team.
Never have I seen a roleplayer ask and demand for so much, wild times.
Dude this guys agent is a fucking bum
What a freaking mess.
Some people take contract negotiations way too personally. This is the NBA; it’s a business. Players have always had to do everything they can to secure their pay, and Joe Lacob is known for his tough negotiations. Remember, we’re talking about millionaires and billionaires here, not regular folks like us. The harsh criticism aimed at players for standing up for themselves is difficult to watch.
Let’s take a step back: this situation will resolve eventually, and we should at least wish the 22-year-old kid from a war-torn country good luck in getting what he wants. Regardless of the outcome, it’s important to recognize that we are not the ones paying for these contracts.
Jimmy Butler got his deal, Kevon Looney secured his, Klay Thompson went and got his, this is a business. We need to trust the Warriors to make decisions that will satisfy both fans and themselves because they are ultimately in it to make money. So let’s be patient and supportive, rather than critical.
Can’t believe we gave up on Dante and kept this fool.
Hold Warriors don’t give up more. I hope he isn’t with us on a QO for the entire year. We don’t want Kuminga we need pieces back for him.
Its really 1 yr 22M
Im tired boss
If Kuminga goes scorched earth….
He could sign the QO which would give him an implied NTC, because NBA rules state anyone on the QO that is traded loses bird rights.
He could then either force a trade to a preferred destination or refuse any trade and leave in free agency after the year is over.
Last years of stephs career and we have to deal with this mess. Just brutal.
This isnt going to end amicably.
To put things in perspective, his offer is higher than Klay when he left the warriors
And he’s rejecting this, wow
No way he’s worth that much in his current skill set. He’s insane and is gonna end up paying for it.
Maybe he’ll get lucky and have the Jordan Poole effect.
lol 5 mil more to add a team option.
WTF that’s actually less haha. This man is really scared to get traded to Memphis or Utah with how this is going.
Lol part of me thinks they should take the L, and use it as a learning lesson but I know that we need it to maximize the final years of Curry’s championship window. 🙃
And what happened to Pat McCaw? Oh right, terminal g-leaguer
Kuminga glazers was really glazing this man
45 / 2 is about 5 million more than I would have paid
If Kuminga really wants to bet on himself he would take the 2 year offer by the Warriors and try his best to showcase his skills in whatever minutes he gets. I’m pretty sure the S&T is dead at this point, mainly because the offers are not what the team wants. Taking the QO will net him the end of the bench unless injuries pile up. Than’t my 2 cents.
Lot of people in here either throwing shade at JK or Dubs but the shade is these actually delusional teams not offering anything of value in return for JK. I’m sure Warriors would take either Kings/suns offers if they gave back something worthwhile, but clearly they are not. I don’t see this as Dubs/JK not seeing eye to eye, it’s the other teams exploiting JK’s talent and hope for a more defined role against his current team.
I guarantee the talks with Dubs and JK go something like this… “we want you to get the 4/90 deal from Suns but they’re offering a no name bench player and a 2nd rd pick for you and we can’t accept that.”
I still think the path forward is a 3-yr deal for $60-ish million, where year three is a player option. It gives the Dubs the most options for the value and the sunk-cost investment JK represents. If he really just balked because of the team option (i.e. role was not as important on a short contract w a PO), then this would close the deal, allow signing Horford, Melton, and possibly one more vet min.
this report, if true, undercuts a couple of the anti-JK talking points we see here:
* First, apparently it’s not true that no team is willing to pay him a decent amount. The Warriors have offered $21.7M for 2 years, other teams have offered $90M/4 years. Apparently he’s not universally considered a bum.
* Second, it seems like the agent isn’t as much of a clown as some say. $82M/3y is $27.3M/yr AAV, but if he’s structuring it to keep the team below the 2nd apron and preserve their exemption, he’s trying to accommodate the team’s needs as well. Smart move.
Kuminga should’ve fired his agent a long time ago. His agent should stop arguing with peeps on Twitter