The Golden State Warriors Just Made Everything Worse

The Golden State Warriors Just Made Everything Worse

A contract negotiations between restricted free agent Jonathan Kaminga and the Warriors. They’re at a little bit of a stalemate here. Going to be a bench roll. What’s probably going to be fluctuating minutes and accepting what will very likely be, you know, a tradable contract. As they’ve mentioned, offered a three-year $75 million deal last week. Do you know what’s wild? Right now, as we speak, the Golden State Warriors only have nine players under contract. Nine. Training camp starts in less than 3 weeks, and they’re supposed to have at least 14. Now, you might be wondering why this is the case. Because one 22-year-old is holding their entire off season hostage. Both the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kaminga are playing the craziest game of chicken that could blow up the Warriors entire season before it even starts. What’s going on guys? Mike here and today we need to talk about what might be the most toxic relationship in the NBA right now. And no, I’m not talking about Ben Simmons and jump shots. I’m talking about Jonathan Kaminga and the Golden State Warriors. The situation has gotten so bad that when Warriors owner Joe Leakup flew across the country for an emergency meeting in Miami, Jonathan Kaminga literally flipped the script on him when Joe Leup asked him, “Do you want to be here?” Kaminga shot back with, “Do you even want me here?” Yeah, it’s gotten that bad. But before we get to the content, make sure you drop like, subscribe, and turn on our notifications to get the latest basketball news. And now that we got all that out of the way, cue the intro. If you join my Discord group from the WP link in the description down below or you follow my Instagram stories, then you made a lot of money through Monday Night Football. I myself made $675 and prize pick still has that Travis Kelce free square. Bear in mind, we’re currently three for three on free squares this year. And I’m going to give you my picks for Thursday Night Football in a second. First, to take advantage of this free square promo, use my promo code microphone when you sign up for prize picks to get $50 in lineups when you make a play of $5 or more. And then, bro, take these picks. Trust me, cuz on Thursday Night Football, the Miami Dolphins, who are the seventh worst defense in stopping the run, take on the Buffalo Bills, who are the second worst defense in stopping the run. So, to take advantage of this and to take advantage of the fact that prize picks lets you pick the same player for two different categories. I’m going with Devon Aan to get a touchdown and to rush for 55 yards at least. And at the same time, I have James Cook repeating his incredible week 2 performance, getting at least 67 rushing yards and a rushing or receiving touchdown as well. Now, remember, I post pics onto my Instagram story, and I have a dedicated Discord server that is locked in on making sure you get the best plays each and every week. They’ve been profiting each and every week. I’m going to leave a link to that in the description down below. And thank you, Prize Picks, for today’s sponsor, Mic Check1212. What’s going on everybody? Let me paint you a picture of just how miserable this situation has gotten. ESPN’s Tim McMahon recently dropped a bomb saying Kaminga is quote miserable. He doesn’t want to be in Golden State. He knows they don’t want him. He doesn’t want to maximize his earnings. He just wants to get into a situation where he feels like he can thrive. Think about that for a second. This dude is so done with the Golden State Warriors that he’s literally willing to leave money on the table just to get out. We’re talking about a guy who could sign a deal worth $45 million over two years, but instead he’s seriously considering taking a one-year qualifying offer for just $7.9 million. That’s leaving $37 million on the table. When have you ever seen an NBA player so desperate to leave they’d be willing to give up that kind of money that wasn’t being paid under the table? And here’s the thing, this isn’t just some benchwarmer we’re talking about. Jonathan Kaminga actually has the stats to back it up. He averaged 15.3 points per game last season. He shot 45% from the field and when he got consistent minutes, he looked like a future star. Remember that playoff game against Minnesota when he dropped 30 points? That was the most he’d ever scored in a playoff game, and it showed everyone what this kid could be if given the chance. But Steve Kerr, man, Steve Kerr basically admitted that he doesn’t know what to do with Jonathan Kaminga. After the playoffs, Kerr said, “It’s difficult fitting Kaminga next to Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green for heavy minutes and expecting to win at the highest level.” That’s coach jargon for this kid doesn’t fit into our system. And Kaminga’s camp has been using those comments as ammunition in negotiations ever since. All right, let’s break down the money because this is where it gets really messy. The Warriors have made several offers to Jonathan Kaminga, and each one tells you exactly what they think of him, which is basically that he’s a trade asset, not a cornerstone. The Warriors just don’t want to lose Kaminga for nothing. Their latest offer was 3 years, $75.2 million. That sounds good, right? Wrong. The third year is a team option, meaning only $48.3 million is actually guaranteed. And here’s the kicker. There’s no trade clause involved in this contract, which is pretty much the Warriors saying, “We want you to sign this deal so we can trade you easier.” Before that, they offered 2 years $45 million. also with a team option on the second year. Kaminga’s response was, “Nah, I’m good.” The Warriors did make one offer without a team option. 3 years, $54 million guaranteed, but that’s only $18 million per year, which is way below what Kaminga thinks he’s worth. And honestly, he might be right. Meanwhile, Kaminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, came back with his own proposal. 3 years, $82 million with a player option. The Warriors said, “No way.” They see a player option as a non-starter, while Kaminga’s camp thinks a team option should cost around $30 million per year. You see the problem here? These two sides are not even in the same universe in these negotiations. It’s not like nobody wants Jonathan Kaminga. The Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns both tried to get him this summer, and their offers make the Warriors look cheap. The Suns reportedly offered four years, $88 million with a player option. Plus, they were throwing in Royce O’Neal and second round picks in a signing trade. The Kings came in with three years 63 to 66 million also with a player option and they were willing to include Malik Monk in a future first round pick. Both teams pitched him as their starting power forward of the future. Both teams were willing to give him the 30 plus minutes a night he craved. But the Warriors, they shut down every single trade discussion. They didn’t want Royce O’Neal in second round picks. They didn’t want Malik Monk in a first. They wanted to keep Kaminga, but only on their terms. And that’s the problem. The Warriors want to have their cake and eat it, too. They want to keep Kaminga, but they also want the flexibility to trade him whenever they feel like it. They want him as insurance for their aging core, but they don’t want to commit to him as a franchise cornerstone. So, we need to talk about what might be the most painful part of this whole saga for Warriors fans. You ready for this? Some of the Warriors own coaches didn’t even want Kaminga in the 2021 draft. They wanted Fran Wagner. Yeah, Fran Vagner, the guy who averaged 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists for the Magic last season. the guy who signed a five-year $224 million contract extension. The guy who started every single game he’s played in Orlando. The Warriors owner was quote a driving force in selecting Kaminga over Vagner. Bob Meyers was the team president. Mike Dunlevy was assistant GM. They gave the green light, but it was Lakeub who pushed hardest for Kaminga when several head coaches preferred Vagner. Think about how different this all could have been. Vagner walked into a situation in Orlando where he was immediately given 30 minutes a night as a starter. No pressure, just development time on a rebuilding team. He got time to make mistakes, learn, and grow into the player he is today. Kaminga, he got drafted onto a championship team where every possession mattered. He had to fight for minutes behind Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. When he made mistakes, he got benched. When he showed flashes, he still got benched because Steve Kerr didn’t trust him in crunch time. In their rookie year, the Warriors won the NBA championship while Orlando won 22 games, but Vagner played in 79 games and started all of them. Kaminga played in 70 games and started in 12. Vagner averaged 31 minutes per night. Jonathan Kaminga averaged 16.9. You fast forward to today and Vagner has played 291 games in four years, starting every single one. Kaminga has played in 258 games starting just 84. And now Vagner is making more than double what the Warriors are offering Kaminga. That’s got to sting. Let’s talk about Joe Lacup for a minute because this dude is central to everything. He’s the one who pushed for Kaminga in the draft. He’s the one who reportedly blocked Kaminga from being included in trades. Remember when the Bulls wanted Kaminga for Alex Caruso? Joe Lacup said no. This past May after the Warriors got bounced from the playoffs, Lakeup and Kaminga were sitting courtside at a Golden State Valkyries game. Leakab asked Kaminga to keep an open mind about their future together. People saw them sitting together and thought everything was cool. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t. Then in August, when negotiations completely stalled, Lakeup literally flew from San Francisco to Miami for an emergency Monday morning meeting. 10:00 a.m. on the dot. The man had a Valkyries game to attend that night back in San Francisco. But this was urgent enough to fly across the country. That’s when the infamous exchange happened. Leakup looked Kaminga in the eye and asked if he wanted to be there. And Kaminga, this 22-year-old kid, looked at the billionaire owner of the Golden State Warriors dead in the eye and flipped it on him. Do you even want me here? That question cuts deep because it gets to the heart of this whole mess. The Warriors say they want Jonathan Kaminga, but their actions say something else. They won’t give him the role he wants. They won’t give him the contract security he wants. They won’t commit to him as a part of their future. But they also won’t let him go to a team that will. So, what happens next? Well, all signs point to Kaminga taking the qualifying offer. This is absolutely unprecedented. That’s $7.9 million over one year. That would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. This is basically the nuclear option for both sides. For Kaminga, it means betting on himself. He’s banking that he can ball out this year and get a massive deal next summer when teams like Detroit, Brooklyn, and Washington have cap space. More teams are expected to have money next year compared to this summer’s dried up market. But it’s risky. The cautionary tale here is Nerland’s Noel. Back in 2017, the Dallas Mavericks offered him four years, $70 million. He turned it down and bet on himself with the qualifying offer, got hurt, played only 30 games, and ended up signing a veteran minimum deal the next year. That $70 million never came back. The difference is Jonathan Kaminga is younger, healthier, and honestly, the gap between what he wants and what the Warriors are offering isn’t as massive as Noel’s situation. We’re talking about maybe $13 million in real difference, not 66 million like Noel lost. For the Warriors, the qualifying offer is a nightmare. If Kaminga signs it, they can’t trade him without his permission. He gets veto power over any deal. Plus, they risk losing him for nothing next summer. And here’s the kicker. Al Horford and a bunch of other veterans are sitting in the Warriors waiting room essentially quietly pleading for clarity. The Warriors can’t sign these guys until they know what’s happening with Kaminga because of salary cap complications. And a huge problem with this is Steve Kerr. We got to talk about Steve Kerr because he might be the elephant in the room that nobody wants to address. Steve Kerr has won four championships with the Golden State Warriors. He’s one of the best coaches in the league. But when it comes to Jonathan Kaminga, man, it’s been rough. Last season, Kaminga went from being completely out of the rotation to being the Warriors leading scorer in a playoff series. This all happened within a couple of weeks. That’s insane volatility for a young player trying to find his rhythm. When the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler at the deadline, Kaminga immediately lost his spot. Kerr’s reasoning was Kaminga’s limited floor spacing and perimeter defending ability. But here’s what kills me. Kerr himself admitted that they never really gave Jonathan Kaminga a fair shot with the main guys. After the season, Kurr said, “If JK comes back, we’ll for sure spend the early part of the season playing him with Jimmy, Draymond, and Steph. We didn’t have that luxury this year. So, let me get this straight. You drafted this kid seventh overall. You’ve had him for four years, and you’re just now thinking about maybe giving him consistent run with your stars. That’s crazy. Kaminga isn’t the only restrictive free agent that dealt with contract drama this summer. Cam Thomas took the qualifying offer with Brooklyn. Josh Giddy got four years 100 million from Chicago. Quinton Grimes is still unsigned from the Philadelphia 76ers. But here’s the thing, none of those guys are in Jonathan Kaminga’s situation. Giddy got paid because Chicago believes in him as their point guard of the future. They’re rebuilding and he fits their timeline. The Warriors are trying to compete now with 37year-old Steph Curry while also preparing for a future that might not include him. The Warriors keep talking about their two timeline strategy, but it’s not working. You can’t develop young talent while also competing for championships unless you’re willing to play those young guys significant minutes. And Kerr has shown time and time again that he just doesn’t trust Jonathan Kaminga in big moments. Real talk, the Warriors should have traded Kaminga this summer. Both the Kings and Suns offers were solid. Getting Malik Monk in a first round pick would have given them a proven scoreer who fits their system. Getting Royce O’Neal in picks would have given them defensive depth and future assets. But no, the Warriors wanted to be stubborn. They wanted to prove that they could have it both ways. And now now they’re stuck. Training camp starts in less than 3 weeks and their roster is incomplete. The Warriors haven’t made a single standard roster transaction this entire off season because of the Jonathan Kaminga situation. They’re the only team in the NBA that can say that. Think about how embarrassing that is for a franchise that’s supposed to be competing for championships. So, the deadline for Jonathan Kaminga to accept the qualifying offer is on October 1st, and everything I’m hearing says that he’s going to take it. ESPN’s Jake Fischer reported that there’s been little dialogue between the two sides for weeks. The Warriors are dug in on the team option. Kaminga’s dug in on the player option. Neither side is blinking. The Warriors just upped their offer to $75 over 3 years, but it still has that team option. It’s like offering someone a bigger sandwich when they’ve already told you they’re vegetarian. You’re missing the point entirely. Mike Dunlevy said at the end of last season that he wanted to figure out Jonathan Kaminga’s situation sooner rather than later. But bro, it’s September 17th. Training camp starts on September 28th. How much later can it get? Let’s talk about what this is really costing the Warriors. It’s not just about money or roster spots. This is about culture. This is about trust. This is about the message you send to every young player in your organization. The Golden State Warriors used to be the model franchise. They developed Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green from day one. They built a dynasty through the draft and smart development. But with Jonathan Kaminga, they fumbled the bag entirely, and it’s affecting everything else. The veterans they want to sign are waiting. The team can’t finalize its roster. They’re going to start training camp in chaos mode, trying to integrate new players with barely any practice time. For a team that Steve Kerr admits practices less than any other because of their aging stars, that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Plus, what message does this send to future draft picks? Come to Golden State and we’ll bury you behind 35-year-old veterans. We’ll dangle you in trade talks every summer. We’ll lowball you in contract negotiations. That’s not exactly attractive to top young talent. Here’s what makes this situation so frustrating. Jonathan Kaminga is really good at basketball. When he gets consistent minutes, he produces 15 points per game on 45% shooting as a 22year-old. That’s legit. His athleticism is off the charts. His potential is undeniable. Both the Warriors have mishandled this from day one. They drafted a player who didn’t fit their system because Joe Leup fell in love with the athleticism. They refused to give him consistent minutes to develop. They made him feel like a trade chip rather than a valued member of the team. And now they’re shocked that he wants out. ESPN’s reporting includes a line that sums this whole thing up perfectly. A subliminal understanding that the contract is more trade asset than commitment to a partnership. That’s not subliminal, that’s obvious. And Jonathan Kaminga sees right through it. So, where does this leave us? Probably with Kaminga taking the qualifying offer, playing this season pissed off and motivated, and leaving for nothing next summer, the Warriors will have fumbled away a seventh overall pick for literally nothing. All because they couldn’t decide if they wanted to compete now or build for the future. The saddest part, both Kaminga and the Warriors are going to lose here. Kaminga is going to lose money and another year of development in a system that doesn’t value him. Warriors are going to lose a young talent and get nothing back. There are no winners in this story. Let me know in the comment section down below. If you were Jonathan Kamingo, what would you personally do? Aside from that, I don’t know if you guys heard Pablo Tori announced that he’s about to dig into Jaylen Brunson potentially getting impermissible benefits with the New York Knicks, both when they originally signed him in 2022 and more recently when he left $116 million on the table in his contract extension. I did a deep dive. I’m going to leave it in the end screen and I’ll meet you guys there. I’m your boy Mike and I’m dropping our mic until our next upload.

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