NBA rumors: Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga contract offers remain far apart

The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga don’t seem close, per Shams Charania and Anthony Slater.

We finally have some updated reporting on the latest offers Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors have exchanged to try and end his restricted free agency thanks to reporting by Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of ESPN. While their story describes Kuminga as continuing to decline a two-year, $45 million offer from the Warriors, the details of the offer are far less favorable to Kuminga.

Per the story, the Warriors have offered a one-year, $21.7 million contract with a team option for a second season that could bring the total value to $45 million. Kuminga would have a no-trade clause on a true one-year deal, so adding the club option allows Golden State more potential trade flexibility. Kuminga, on the other hand, has understandably been eyeing something with more long-term guarantees.

“His agent, Aaron Turner, presented the Warriors a few frameworks during a pair of summer league meetings in Las Vegas, including a three-year deal worth around $82 million that allowed the Warriors to stay below the second apron to use the taxpayer midlevel exception,” wrote Slater and Charania.

The Warriors have refused to budge from this offer, and given the team-friendly framework of restricted free agent, have the power to force Kuminga to either accept this offer or the far less substantial qualifying offer (a one-year, $7.9 million deal). While that would give Kuminga a no-trade clause and a chance at unrestricted free agency next season, the Warriors would no longer have pressure to showcase him to other teams.

Golden State is exerting maximum leverage in negotiations with Kuminga, which while beneficial to the team’s salary cap, places even more pressure on an already strained relationship if he does return to the team. We’ll see if the saga comes to an end soon.