It doesn’t appear to be all about the money for Jonathan Kuminga.
The Warriors forward, who currently is a restricted free agent, rejected Golden State’s recent two-year, $45 million contract offer, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported in a story on Wednesday, citing sources.
Kuminga’s decision, as ESPN reports, largely was due to the Warriors’ insistence on having a team option for the second season and their unwillingness to let him maintain the built-in no-trade clause, which the team requested he waive.
The proposed one-plus-one contract, according to the collective bargaining agreement, would have an inherent no-trade clause, due to Kuminga’s potential next team not maintaining his Bird rights.
Charania and Slater also reported that Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, presented a few contract frameworks to the Warriors during two NBA Summer League meetings in Las Vegas, including a three-year deal worth up to $82 million that let the Warriors stay below the second apron, which would allow them to use the taxpayer midlevel exception.
Golden State, according to ESPN, believes it currently has the best offer on the table for Kuminga for two reasons: One, because of the higher starting salary for the 2025-26 NBA season ($21.7 million) compared to offers from other interested teams like the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings, which tops out at $19.8 million in Year 1, and two, because the two-year team option concept.
It’s unclear what the path forward for Kuminga is, but it doesn’t appear a resolution is imminent.
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