To what extent Kuminga and Warriors would have been separated during contract negotiations originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors did not accept the conditions of a contract extension before the rookie contract deadline of October 21, which makes his future in Golden State still so uncertain.
The negotiations were approximately $5 million apart, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported, citing league sources, with Kuminga targeting an annual salary in the range of $35 million and the Warriors a maximum of around $30 million.
In the end, no agreement was reached, and Kuminga will now bet on himself in his fourth NBA season.
And as expected, the rumors will continue to circulate the 22-year-old forward, especially with his positional adjustment with Golden State in question. That became evident this week when Kuminga was moved to the bench after starting the first three games of the season, something Sam Amick of The Athletic said Kuminga was “clearly not happy about.”
He still ended up playing more minutes and scoring more points in those two games off the bench, finishing with 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in Tuesday’s win over the Los Angeles Pelicans. New Orleans and 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in Wednesday’s win over the Pelicans.
With the loss of franchise icon Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors went all-in by landing Paul George and Lauri Markkanen in a potential package that would have included Kuminga. They removed two takes.
Now, rival executives believe Golden State is “more willing than ever” to include Kuminga in a trade of significant magnitude, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, and the team is still waiting for a high-value player in return. One player to watch is Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, who attracted interest from the Warriors during the offseason and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer after declining to extend with Miami, Amick wrote, citing sources .
In five games this season, Kuminga averages 11.4 points on 40.8 percent shooting with 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23 minutes.
