The Golden State Warriors entered the offseason with countless questions about their roster and their future. One of the most intriguing was whether or not they’d reach contract extensions with their pair of rookie extension-eligible lottery picks from the 2021 NBA Draft, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
It turns out that the answer was both “yes” and “no.” The Warriors and Kuminga failed to reach an extension agreement by Monday’s deadline, as first reported by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. The news comes a day after the Dubs extended Moody for three years and $39 million, keeping him in the Bay Area through at least the 2027-2028 season, barring a trade.
Kuminga’s lack of an extension is no surprise, and all signs had been pointing in that direction. Slater reported that Kuminga and the Warriors “were never all that close in negotiations,” and that really shouldn’t be shocking. Kuminga, the No. 7 overall pick in that 2021 draft, is a unique case for a rookie extension. He’s shown that he has the ceiling of some of his fellow draftmates who have agreed to maximum extensions, like Scottie Barnes and Cade Cunningham. But it’s still unclear if he’ll reach that ceiling, as both his minutes and play have been fairly inconsistent. It wasn’t even known until Slater mentioned it in his report whether or not Kuminga would even be a starter this year (he will, at least on opening day).
As such, it only made sense that the two sides would be a ways apart in contract negotiations. There’s no reason for the Warriors to offer Kuminga a max contract until they see that he’s a player deserving one, and there’s no reason for Kuminga to settle for a lesser deal when he can play himself into the generational wealth that an All-Star campaign would net him.
This doesn’t mean that Kuminga’s tenure with the Warriors is nearing its end, or that there’s a fracture between the two sides. He’ll enter restricted free agency next year, meaning the Warriors will have the right to match any contract he’s offered. And because they retain Kuminga’s Bird rights, they’ll be able to fit him into their payroll regardless of how much it costs.
Kuminga is betting on himself, and who can blame him? Hopefully it’s a bet he wins, and that he cashes out big next summer. And hopefully it’s still the Warriors writing those checks.
Be the first to comment