Emerging: Golden State Warriors’ Forward to get Mammoth $130+ million contract
Jonathan Kuminga’s rise to stardom has come at a good time for the 21-year-old, with a mammoth new contract expected once the Golden State Warriors’ forward becomes extension eligible in the offseason.
Kuminga is in the third of a four-year rookie deal, meaning the Warriors will have him for what forecasts as an incredibly team-friendly $7.6 million salary next season. But from there on, it’s expected the franchise will have to pay up to retain their brightest young talent.
Jonathan Kuminga’s recent ascension means he could garner in excess of $130 million on his next contract with the Golden State Warriors
While Kuminga wouldn’t become a restricted free agent until 2025, Golden State can orchestrate an extension for him and fellow third-year lottery pick Moses Moody during the upcoming offseason.
Speaking on 95.7 The Game’s Willard and Dibs last month, ESPN’s Bobby Marks compared Kuminga to another young forward in evaluating what sort of money he could garner on his next contract.
“Probably what you’re looking at in Minnesota with Jaden McDaniels. He got 5 for $131M. You’re probably looking at $30M per year.”
– Bobby Marks on Jonathan Kuminga
This isn’t the first time Kuminga and McDaniels have been compared — as soon as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ forward got his extension back in October, that was immediately seen as a possible forecast to what the young Warrior could get.
At that point Kuminga had just recorded the second-most points in the league throughout the preseason, and while it took awhile for that to translate to the regular season, the former seventh overall pick has exploded over the past couple of months.
Kuminga has 13 20-point games over the last 22 games, having emerged as Golden State’s second-best scorer behind Stephen Curry and as a candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year.
It’s set to be a big offseason for the Warriors who not only have decisions that can be made on Kuminga and Moody, but have Klay Thompson who’s set to be a free agent, Chris Paul’s non-guaranteed $30 million option, Kevon Looney’s non-guaranteed deal, and a player option for Gary Payton II.
Also Read:
Golden State Warriors’ veteran yelled at Steve Kerr after controversial decision
Klay Thompson has largely taken well to his new role off the bench, with the Golden State Warriors’ veteran having averaged 19.2 points on 44.1% three-point shooting in six games since becoming a reserve.
Despite the significant shift of coming off the bench for the first time since his rookie year in 2012, Thompson has displayed a positive attitude whenever he’s spoke about his new role publicly. However, behind closed doors that wasn’t always the case.
Klay Thompson yelled at Steve Kerr and Golden State Warriors’ assistant coaches after initially hearing of his move to the bench
In a recent report from ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Warrior head coach Steve Kerr revealed that Thompson had actually yelled at him and some of the assistants after hearing of his move to the bench in Golden State’s last game before the All-Star break.
“It was not an easy conversation. This is maybe the hardest part about getting further away from our prime. It’s just, after 12 years (of Thompson starting), it wasn’t easy. And still moving forward, it’s not going to be easy. But I told him, ‘if you really embrace it, you can help your team win.'”
– Steve Kerr on Klay Thompson
An outburst isn’t overly surprising given Thompson’s often visible frustration at different points this season. The four-time champion has had to fight between his post-injury self and his previous prime, a gap further emphasized by the move to the bench.
Kerr also revealed that Thompson had return to apologize shortly after, with the veteran sharpshooter ultimately taking his frustration out on the Jazz. Thompson had a season-high 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting that night, and has two more games of at least 23 points in the five outings since.
Thompson didn’t close in Golden State’s 110-99 win over the New York Knicks on Thursday, with veteran point-guard Chris Paul and third-year wing Moses Moody preferred over the franchise legend.
Whether Thompson can regain his starting spot remains to be seen, but given he and the Warriors have thrived since the move, it’s unlikely that anymore significant changes are forthcoming in the near future.
Leave a Reply