Warriors issue ultimatum: ‘Not selling Kuminga even at high price’
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Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors reacts after a foul.
The Golden State Warriors have reached a decision on Jonathan Kuminga‘s future with the team.
According to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, Kuminga will remain with the Warriors.
“Kuminga won’t be traded this summer. He’ll be back on the Warriors’ roster to start the season. And it’ll either come when he signs the Warriors’ offer or accepts the $7.9 million one-year qualifying offer,” Kawakami reported on Aug. 4.
The Warriors offered Kuminga a two-year, $45 million contract with the second year a team option, according to Charania and his ESPN colleague Anthony Slater. But the Warriors also asked Kuminga to relinquish the inherent no-trade clause so they may trade him if the opportunity arises during the season.
However, Kuminga rejected the Warriors’ offer and expressed willingness, according to ESPN, to leave money on the table and take a risk with his $7.9 million one-year qualifying offer and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Kuminga’s unresolved situation has put on hold all of the Warriors’ transactions this offseason. They are the only NBA team that has not added a player with league experience in free agency.
Warriors Reject Sign-And-Trade Offers
Getty Malik Monk of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Kuminga’s camp has explored sign-and-trade scenarios in July with two teams — the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings — expressing serious interest.
While their contract offers and the starting role they were pitching were acceptable to Kuminga, the Warriors found their trade offers unappealing.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Kings offered $63 million over three years with a player option on the final year to Kuminga. Then they improved their initial offer of Devin Carter, Dario Saric and two second-round picks to Malik Monk and a protected first-round pick.
But the Warriors wanted an unprotected pick, which the Kings are unwilling to offer.
On the other hand, the Suns offered more guaranteed money.
ESPN reported the Suns’ offer to be $90 million over four years, but they do not have a first-round pick to pique the Warriors’ interest.
Andscape’s senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears previously reported that the Suns offered veteran Royce O’Neale, center Nick Richards and all of their three available second-round picks to no avail.
Jonathan Kuminga Does Not Want to Return
Kuminga wants to get out of Golden State, according to Spears. But the Warriors are holding out for a better return package for the former No. 7 pick.
His wish is to go to Sacramento, Spears added.
After a Zoom call meeting with the Kings’ general manager Scott Perry, assistant general manager BJ Armstrong and coach Doug Christie, Kuminga was convinced to join them, according to Spears.
“He wants to go [to Sacramento],” Spears reported. “The Kings are offering a starting spot, as the power forward, next to Keegan Murray and [Domantas] Sabonis.”
As ESPN’s Shams Charania previously reported, “those are two things (significant playing time and a starting role) that he wants more than anything.”
Kuminga believes he is ready to step into a bigger role, which the Warriors could not offer after he delivered big numbers in their second-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves without the injured Stephen Curry.
The 22-year-old forward averaged 24.3 points on 55.4% shooting and 38.9% from the 3-point line during the final four games, which gave him supreme confidence heading into this offseason.
Alder Almo is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo