Report: Warriors Aren’t Prepared To Give Jonathan Kuminga Max Extension He Wants

According to NBA insider Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Golden State Warriors aren’t prepared to give Jonathan Kuminga the max extension he wants. 

Kuminga would enter restricted free agency next offseason if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Warriors before October 21. 

“The Warriors aren’t currently prepared to give Kuminga a max extension (like the five-year, $224-million deal Franz Wagner got from the Orlando Magic that will start at 25 percent of the cap) or anything that stretches too close to that $44.8 million annual salary, league sources said,” Slater wrote in his NBA column. “There’s credible reason for Kuminga to believe he can play himself into that ballpark with another leap. The talent has flashed for long stretches. The upside remains immense. But Kuminga’s relatively limited track record and protection of restricted free agency gives the Warriors leverage and reasons for patience.”

Kuminga put up 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game for the Warriors last season while shooting 52.9% from the field, 32.1% from 3 and 74.6% from the foul line. 

The Warriors drafted Kuminga with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Kuminga, who won the 2022 title with Golden State over the Boston Celtics, holds career averages of 11.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks. 

“That doesn’t mean there isn’t a reasonable middle ground — perhaps in the $30-ish million per season range as the deadline nears,” Slater wrote in his NBA column. “Nobody can say for sure what will happen if Kuminga is presented a concrete, life-changing financial offer and the Warriors come to believe the deal will age well enough as the salary cap projects to skyrocket. There have been tentative extension discussions between the sides, league sources said, but a clear divide remains.”