Over a month ago, it was reported that Jonathan Kuminga desired a max contract from Golden State, but now it seems like a more distant possibility and the young player will not be honored with the proposal he is expecting. NBA insider Anthony Slater assures that the Warriors simply aren’t “currently prepared” to extend the full five-year max offer.
The Athletic‘s reporter also expressed that there “hasn’t been significant progress toward a deal” to this point, but didn’t rule out the chance that the forward might accept a lucrative offer for less than the max, so he can also benefit his team’s financial situation.
“That doesn’t mean there isn’t a reasonable middle ground—perhaps in the $30-ish million per season range as the deadline nears. Nobody can say for sure what will happen if Kuminga is presented a concrete, life-changing financial offer and the Warriors come to believe the deal will age well enough as the salary cap projects to skyrocket.
Fun Fact: Somewhere, right now, Kuminga is improving and I can’t wait to see his game next year. pic.twitter.com/jMZhloFyzj
— Warriors Huddle (@WarriorsHuddle) September 9, 2024
“There have been tentative extension discussions between the sides, league sources said, but a clear divide remains,” Slater explained in his most recent report on Golden State’s offseason plans.
In an episode of the No Cap Room podcast, Jake Fischer said, “Jonathan Kuminga is entering the final year of his rookie deal where the word around the league from various sources is that Kuminga and his representation are looking for a full max extension.”
Fischer added, “Which, as we just talked about with BI [Brandon Ingram] and Jamal Murray, and whoever, if you’re not [an] absolute All-Star Scottie Barnes type of guy for Toronto, Lauri Markkanen for Utah, Trae Young for Atlanta back in the day… It’s really hard to get that number. That’s what the agent has to do in that scenario.”
Kuming improved his overall averages in every department in his third year, as he also saw his game time increase plenty since last season. This past campaign with the Warriors, he averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 74 games (46 starts).
Reports Suggest There’s Still A ‘Minuscule’ Chance Of Brandon Ingram Being Traded To Warriors
Brandon Ingram’s future continues to be one of the biggest mysteries of this offseason market, as he has been heavily linked to Golden State since the start of the summer. One thing for sure is that he is looking for certainty in his career, even if it is in New Orleans or elsewhere, as the 27-year-old is set to enter free agency next year.
Reports suggest that his most likely landing spot is in San Francisco, as it has been stated several times by NBC Sports Bay Area‘s Monte Poole, who has explicitly mentioned that “any chance of him coming to Golden State is minuscule.”
The context of his remarks go all the way to the Warriors’ November 2020 trade for former Oklahoma City Thunder wing Kelly Oubre Jr. “In the eight years since [Kevin Durant] departed, the Oubre deal is the only individual move made under the theory that it alone would be enough to keep the Warriors among the contenders.
“Every move since, including the addition of Chris Paul last summer, was made to supplement the roster rather than expand its core,” the reporter assured, before turning the page to the possibility of Ingram filling in that space.
