The Warriors can benefit greatly from Jonathan Kuminga’s huge mistake

After a breakout season in the second half of last season, Jonathan Kuminga’s contract situation was always going to be a big talking point ahead of his fourth season with the Golden State Warriors.

Yet unlike his fourth-year lottery pick Moses Moody, Kuminga and the Warriors were unable to agree on a new contract before the Oct. 21 extension deadline.

To secure his first big league payday, Kuminga and his management were rightfully after as big a contract as they could possibly get. He saw his fellow members of the 2021 draft class, namely Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner, get max deals of five years and over $220 million.

There was a lot of conjecture about what Kuminga and his management ultimately wanted and what the Golden State front office was willing to offer. Now according to a recent report from Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the young forward had no interest in taking anything less than a five-year, $175 million contract.

“Instead, nothing came close to a similar five-year $150 million offer for Kuminga because it appeared the least he would have considered was a five-year $175 million deal.” Scotto wrote.

Based on his uncertain role to start this season and the very few teams that have cap space heading into next offseason, Kuminga may have made a big mistake by not being willing to take less on an extension, especially if the Warriors were willing to offer something on the order of $150 million.

The 22-year-old started the first three games of the season but has played just one since. Kuminga is currently averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 43.1% shooting from the floor and 29% from 3-point range – all worse numbers than last season. It’s not as if his role hadn’t wavered throughout his first three years in the league, meaning it should have been considered a distinct possibility when evaluating whether to accept a preseason extension offer.

From a front office perspective, the Warriors now have far more flexibility in what they could do from a trade standpoint without having to factor in an impending Kuminga extension. His restricted free agency still has to factor into every decision they make, but there are still far more options than they would have had.

Kuminga’s early season form suggests he is far from a $150 million player, let alone the $175+ million he was after. Perhaps Golden State learned a thing or two about patience after the Jordan Poole situation, and they could reap the benefits of making sure they aren’t locked into a contract that could have quickly drawn a wave of criticism.