Warriors fail to reach contract extension with key starter

Dec 28, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) stands on the court before the start of the game against the Miami Heat at the Chase Center. Photo Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Monday’s contract extension deadline will come and go without a new deal for JK.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports this week that the Golden State Warriors and young forward Jonathan Kuminga will not come to a contract extension before the deadline to do so. With the new NBA season beginning on Tuesday, Monday marks the deadline for preseason contract extensions, including for 2021 draftees like Kuminga.

The 22-year-old Kuminga is looking like a long-term building block for the Warriors. Kuminga, Golden State’s former No. 7 overall pick, broke out last season with 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game plus strong defense in a lower-usage role. This season, he is expected to be a full-time starter in the frontcourt next to Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green.

But Kuminga has also seemingly been plagued by maturity issues to this point of his NBA career. He had a reported rift last season with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr over his inconsistent playing time and has also been the subject of unflattering claims about his work ethic. That could explain why the Warriors, according to Slater’s report, never upped their extension offer to Kuminga from their initial stance of “$30ish million per year.”

Because he failed to reach an extension agreement with the Warriors, Kuminga is set to become a restricted free agent next summer. He will thus be able to sign an offer sheet with any other team, which Golden State will then be able to match. Kuminga could also take the one-year qualifying offer from the Warriors for the 2025-26 season and set himself up to become an unrestricted free agent the following summer. Slater also notes that Kuminga remains eligible for trade through the February deadline.

The Warriors did manage to agree to an extension with another young upside piece prior to Monday’s deadline. But when it comes to Kuminga, his longtime future in Golden State is looking very much up in the air right now.