Jonathan Kuminga has signed his two-year, $48.5 million contract with the Golden State Warriors. This deal, announced late Tuesday night in Cleveland, includes a team option for the second season and a 15% trade kicker, emphasizing the Warriors’ commitment to the young forward while maintaining flexibility for future moves.
Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, revealed that negotiations included extensive discussions, highlighted by a 40-minute sit-down podcast with ESPN’s Hoop Collective. It’s possible Kuminga went through a similar process this summer. He had been on the lookout for a better deal, either a bigger contract or a sign-and-trade with another team. Kuminga didn’t start off going for an extension of any kind in his deal. This maneuver laid bare his need for power and leverage going forward.
The Warriors played with the structure of the contract enough to have it become more palatable if a trade opportunity presents itself. Kuminga would be eligible to trade as of January 15. This opens things up considerably for the organization as they figure out what to do with their roster and chase those championship aspirations.
Though the negotiations were ongoing and sensitive at times, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was in constant communication with Kuminga. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr assured him of a vital role inside the team’s rotation once he returned. This reassurance is nothing to take lightly. In particular, over the last four seasons, Kerr has been known for playing matchups with Kuminga, regularly rotating Kuminga in and out of the starting lineup based on matchups and what the team needed.
Kerr said he had no concerns about Kuminga’s character or how he would fit in the Sharks’ collective locker room. He went on to say that he doesn’t think adding a player like Kuminga would fundamentally upset the chemistry on the team.
“From my end, as a former player, understanding there’s a shelf life on your career, I’ve got no issues with guys doing whatever they can to get the deals they want,” – Mike Dunleavy, General Manager of the Golden State Warriors.
Kuminga’s signing comes at an important time for the Warriors. They’re hellbent on returning to the upper echelon of the league in the last few years of their current core—led by superstars like Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Dunleavy emphasized Kuminga’s potential, stating, “We feel like we have a player that can be really good.”
Kerr admitted that contract negotiations were a tough situation, and further thought about how much he liked the coaching more than the management side of things.
“I told [Dunleavy] there was a reason I hated being a GM,” – Steve Kerr.
To him, those 92 days showed it in stark relief. He conveyed, as he is said to have done before, a wish to just coach and allow management to handle all the messy contract stuff. He understood the monetary importance of the contract for Kuminga.
“It may not be the contract he was hoping for, but that’s life-changing money,” – Steve Kerr.
After closing the deal earlier that day in Cleveland, Kuminga hastily made his way by private jet back to San Francisco on Wednesday. He was signed to the Warriors for Thursday afternoon’s practice. His comeback to the fold is one of the wisest offseason signings for the Warriors. It further improves their roster depth and increases their competitiveness as they prepare to build towards success for the next season in 2024.
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