Kuminga waiting: Golden State option or qualifying offer, NBA

Kuminga and the Warriors: A Contract at the Crossroads

Jonathan Kuminga’s future with the Golden State Warriors hangs in the balance. His agent, Aaron Turner, has revealed that the player is willing to accept the $8 million qualifying offer if the Warriors do not improve their current proposals.

There is a lot of potential. He wants to choose where he wants to go. So the qualified offer is real, for sure.

Aaron Turner

The Warriors have presented Kuminga, 22, with three different offers. The most lucrative is a three-year, $75.2 million contract, with a team option for the third season, guaranteeing Kuminga $48.3 million in the first two years. He has also been offered a two-year, $45 million deal, with a team option for the second season, and another three-year, $54 million deal without options. So far, Kuminga has rejected all offers, requesting that the team option be converted into a player option. The Warriors, for their part, have refused to include a player option in their proposals.

Turner emphasized the importance of Kuminga feeling valued. If the Warriors want to count on him, and see him as a key piece, they should offer him the player option, even though this could affect the value in a possible trade. Kuminga’s contract situation has left the Warriors as the only NBA team without signings this summer. Less than two weeks before the start of training camp, they only have nine players on their roster. They are expected to sign veterans like Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II once the Kuminga issue is resolved, but negotiations have been stalled for three months. If Kuminga signs the qualifying offer, he would forgo more than $40 million guaranteed over the next two seasons, but would obtain unrestricted free agency next summer and an inherent no-trade clause, giving him control over his future. Turner has mentioned that Kuminga has been exploring the market, including opinions external to the Warriors. The Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns have shown interest, but they have not managed to finalize trade offers that convince the Warriors. Kuminga is likely to return to a bench role with the Warriors, behind players like Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Horford. Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. expressed optimism about Kuminga’s situation in June, but no agreement has been reached so far. Warriors owner Joe Lacob met with Kuminga in Miami in August to try to resolve the contract dispute, but negotiations continue. The key point is that the Warriors do not want to include a player option in any offer, unless Kuminga waives the no-trade clause. If an agreement is not reached, Kuminga could take the qualifying offer, which would affect his market value.