The Golden State Warriors are yet to make a move in NBA free agency, although they did lose Kevon Looney to the New Orleans Pelicans. Right now, it would appear the franchise’s full attention is on resolving the current contract negotiations with Jonathan Kuminga. The former lottery pick is a restricted free agent this summer, but, to this point, neither he nor the Warriors has managed to reach an agreement on a new deal.
According to a July 24 report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Kuminga is happy to remain patient and explore his options in free agency. Charania noted how right now, Kuminga isn’t accepting the Warriors’ current offers, although he is open to exploring his options, both with Golden State and other teams around the NBA.
“I saw Jonathan Kuminga this morning at a workout in Miami,” Charania said. “He’s in good spirits. He had a good workout. He did tell me, though, that he is in absolutely no rush on doing a deal with the Warriors right now, and he’s not accepting their current offers. To continue to explore options with his agent, Aaron Turner, whether that’s continuing conversations with the Warriors, but also sign-and-trade options that are available to him in the marketplace.”
Kuminga has struggled to establish himself as a core member of Steve Kerr’s rotation. As such, he’s found himself in and out of the lineup throughout his tenure in the Bay Area. Therefore, it makes sense for Kuminga to take a cautious approach with his future, rather than quickly rushing to receive a pay rise on his next deal.In recent weeks, Kuminga has reportedly drawn interest from the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls. However, given the base year compensation rule, a sign-and-trade deal may be difficult to pull off. Still, that won’t stop teams from doing their due diligence, which in turn will likely keep the current standoff between Kuminga and the Warriors moving at a snail’s pace
But new reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania indicates that might not happen anytime soon.
“The Warriors’ entire offseason has been essentially on pause for one player, and that’s restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga,” Charania said Thursday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “They have wanted to figure out his situation before making their other offseason moves. I saw Jonathan Kuminga this morning at a workout in Miami. He’s in good spirits. He had a good workout.
“He did tell me, though, that he is in absolutely no rush on doing a deal with the Warriors right now, and he is not accepting their current offers. He added that he wanted to continue to explore options with his agent, Aaron Turner, whether that’s continuing conversations with the Warriors, but also sign-and-trade options that are available to him in the marketplace.”
