Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors have finally reached agreement on a two-year, $48.5 million deal, ending the months-long stalemate between the two sides.
Read more: Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors Saga Finally Ends With Surprise Contract
Kuminga wasn’t forced to take the qualifying offer, instead getting more guaranteed money from Golden State.
While the contract has a team option — something that Kuminga didn’t want — it comes with a twist.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the deal “has a team option designed for the contract to be ripped up and renegotiated next summer.” Added Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the team option “will be declined so he becomes an unrestricted free agent (next offseason).”
Based on this reporting, the team option appears to be more of a formality than anything. Thus, Kuminga appears to be getting what he wanted all along, which is control over his future.
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Kuminga, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he appeared in 47 games (10 starts), averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from deep. Those numbers were down from the 2023-24 season, when he appeared in 74 games (46 starts), averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on 52.9 percent shooting from the field and 32.1 percent from deep.
Kuminga remains a vital player for the Warriors, though, and he’s also by far their best trade asset. Thus, the team couldn’t have him take the qualifying offer, which would give him an inherent no-trade clause and a difficult contract to trade, anyway.
Now, Kuminga will be on a very tradable contract, and the team will likely discuss him with multiple teams ahead of the deadline. Kuminga isn’t eligible to be traded until Jan. 15.
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