Warriors Predicted to Reunite With Versatile $25 Million Wing in Free Agency

Warriors Can Match Any Offer to Jonathan Kuminga, Revisit a Trade Ahead of NBA’s February Deadline

That isn’t the ideal outcome for Golden State, as head coach Steve Kerr benched Kuminga down the stretch of the regular season and played him sparingly in Round 1 of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets.

An injury to Stephen Curry in Game 1 of Round 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves forced Kerr’s hand, and Kuminga responded to the challenge by averaging nearly 21 points per game, despite just a seven-point performance over just 13 minutes played in the opening contest.

Still, none of that changes the reality that Kuminga’s most effective style of play doesn’t fit seamlessly with how Kerr wants the offense to run. It also doesn’t change Jimmy Butler’s presence on the roster for at least the next two years, which mitigates the minutes available to Kuminga.

But despite the issues of fit and need, a limited free-agent market for Kuminga puts the Warriors in a good position to keep him on the roster until at least next February’s trade deadline, when flipping him may make more sense and prove less complicated/more lucrative.

“That bodes well for the Warriors keeping him at a palatable number, attempting to integrate him into the Jimmy Butler era and then revisiting his fit and market value closer to February’s trade deadline,” Favale continued.

Jonathan Kuminga Interested in Playing Elsewhere Than Golden State

Kuminga is uncertain about a potential return to the Warriors in his age-23 season based on his recent comments. Golden State drafted him No. 7 overall in 2021 and paid him $25 million over the life of his four-year rookie contract.

Tim Kawakami spoke with Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy for a piece that ran on June 27 in The San Francisco Standard, and Kuminga was a central topic of conversation.