In the end, Kuminga and his agent settled. They had very publicly stated for months that they would consider the qualifying offer if the Warriors didn’t increase their two-year offer, or make it a player option for the second year. Then, with the Oct. 1 deadline looming, Kuminga and his agent took what the Warriors had on the table: Two years, $46.8 million with a team option in the second year. A contract that makes Kuminga a trade target (who has no control over where he lands).
In Warriors training camp on Thursday, Kuminga played it right down the middle and said all the right things about wanting to win and be with the Warriors long term. Here are some quotes, courtesy of NBC Sports Bay Area, starting with the question of whether Golden State is where he wanted to be (after spending part of the summer searching for a sign-and-trade).
“I’m here now. “That’s everybody’s goal, to be somewhere for longer. You never know your future … It’s a business. At the end of the day all that matters is we got it done and I’m excited to be here …
“Helping us win. Finding a way to help us win on both ends. Defense, offense, find a way to be a piece that’s going to help us win games and hopefully a championship.”
Kuminga likely will be Steve Kerr’s sixth man this season, because Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler have to start and they take Kuminga’s position on the court (plus that’s too many non-shooters to play together in the modern NBA). That said, if the Warriors are going to shop Kuminga and look to trade him at next February’s deadline — and they are — then Steve Kerr has to showcase Kuminga at points in the first part of the season. The challenge is that Kuminga is a ball-in-his-hands, head-down, drive-to-the-paint style player in a Warriors system that emphasizes ball movement, quick decisions, and moving off the ball. Kuminga is not a natural fit for how Kerr wants to play, which has led to the much-discussed tension between the two.
It may not have been what he wanted, but Kuminga taking the two-year, $46.8 million offer was the right move. Kuminga and his agent did what they were supposed to do — everything they could to get a better offer, publicly and privately — but in the end, accepting an offer paying him $22.5 million this year rather than the $8 million qualifying offer is just smart for a player who has never made more than $7.6 million in a season. This year’s salary alone nearly doubles Kuminga’s career earnings, it would have been a mistake to leave that money on the table.
If Kuminga wants to land in a better spot where he will be a more featured player, he’s going to have to show out to start this season. At least to start, he is saying all the right things.
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