Jonathan Cuminga’s contract standing is among the largest unsolved mysteries of this summer season.
The Golden State Warriors have just lately bolstered affords from the primary two years of $45 million deal that they beforehand introduced to Jonathan Kuminga.
Golden State presently affords Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million contract, guaranteeing $48.3 million in its first two seasons.
The annual wage coincides with a deal between fellow restricted free agent Josh Giddy and the Chicago Bulls.
Regardless of the rise in affords, Kuminga and his agent stay dissatisfied for 2 essential causes.
The three-year contract features a third-year workforce possibility, limiting management over Cuminga’s future.
Extra importantly, Cuminga desires to keep away from the state of affairs at Jalen Greene within the Houston Rockets.
Inexperienced signed a three-year contract in late 2024. This included a third-year participant possibility, however nonetheless traded on the Kevin Durant deal.
“They in contrast the deal to the lower-level model of the deal Houston signed by Jalen Inexperienced. Jalen Inexperienced is making round $33 million subsequent 12 months, a participant possibility of $36 million. He might primarily commerce, saying that Houston was additionally paid for.
Inexperienced’s precedent reveals that even profitable contracts with player-friendly choices don’t assure the safety of employment in immediately’s NBA commerce market.
Kuminga’s important concern is concentrated on contract administration somewhat than pure financial pursuits.
If Inexperienced, which had extra contractual safety than the Warriors’ present supply, remains to be traded, Cuminga fears being handled the identical.
“They usually consider that if Kuminga indicators this and goes in and buys as they need, he desires it to be a participant possibility, not a workforce possibility. That is the hold-up,” Slater added.
The workforce’s choices construction means the Warriors can commerce Kuminga at any time, particularly as his minutes will not be assured and will additional scale back market worth.
Moreover, each events might want to attain an settlement on the qualifying supply till October 1st, particularly if Kuminga really prioritizes profession management over speedy monetary safety.
The deadline provides urgency to negotiations which have already grown all through the summer season.
