Kumingga s contract renewal deadlock with the Warriors: Analysis of the three best, worst and most realistic endings

Translator's note: The original text was published in the San Jose Messenger. The data in the text were as of the time of publication (September 5th local time). The dates and times involved are all local time. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

Less than a month after the start of training camp, Jonathan Kumingga and the Warriors have not yet found any solution to their long contract renewal deadlock.

It is rumored that the Warriors have provided multiple contract offers for Kuminga, including a two-year, $45 million (the second year is the team option) reported by ESPN. At the same time, several teams also conducted transaction inquiries with the Warriors.

But the future of the restricted free agent remains pending as the two sides have not reached any formal agreement. The top 7 pick must decide whether to accept a $7.9 million qualification offer by October 1. Cameron Thomas, also a restricted free agent, reportedly accepted a $6 million qualification offer on Thursday.

Whether the 22-year-old Kumingga eventually returns to the Warriors through a new multi-year contract or accepts a qualification offer, he will return to a team seeking the fifth championship in the Stephen Curry era.

If Kumingga plays for the team that selected him in 2025-26, what are the best, worst and medium-sized situations for him?

Best Situation

Head coach Steve Cole has said that he hopes Kumingga can play a more important role in his fifth season in his NBA career. He did play such a role last season before the winger missed 31 games with a serious ankle injury.

"If JK (Kuminga) comes back, we will definitely have him play with Jimmy (Butler), Draymond (Green), Stephen (Curry) early in the season," Cole said at a press conference after the end of the season. "For me, it's a natural arrangement."

Ideally, the team would encourage Kuuminga to use his athleticism to hit the basket and play one of the main scoring options to make up for the team's shortcomings in this regard. Although he averaged only 24.3 minutes per game, he ranked third among the Warriors in terms of breakthroughs per game (8.1 times), and led the team in the number of attempts in these breakthroughs (4.1 times), surpassing Curry and Butler.

Kuminga's free throw rate (number of free throws obtained per shot) is also ranked third in the team with 0.414, which means that he can get about one free throw for every two sports shootings. In the playoffs against the Timberwolves, when Curry was injured, Kumingga performed well as the offensive core and averaged 20.8 points per game. During the regular season, he also needs to play such a role whenever Curry, Butler or both are away at the same time.

If he can play in full training camp and preseason, his on-court cooperation with Butler is expected to get better. After gaining a steady playing time, Kumingga can also make progress in passing and rebounding, both areas where he has made little progress since his rookie season.

Ideally, Kumingga will sign a long-term contract with the Warriors during the offseason and be established as the core of the team building in the post-Curry era. Or, he can get a generous offer from another team.

Worst case

On the other hand, the worst result will be that Kumingga is in a similar situation as last season's end - when the other core players are healthy, he is just a talented scorer who overlaps with Butler's activity area on the court.

He was unable to thrive in the Warriors' dynamic offensive system, which often left him confused when Curry, Butler and Green performed tactics.

Even if Kumingga remains healthy this season and Cole delivers on his offseason commitment, will Cole be patient with a fifth-year player who is not suitable for this team that is determined to compete for the championship? If mistakes continue to accumulate, will Kumingga's playing time decrease?

Kuminga may also stagnate in rebounding, passing and team defense, which are traits that the team values ​​sports wing players. Kumingga has never averaged 5 rebounds or 3 assists per game, and has only 0.5 blocks per game, which is incredibly low for a player with his athletic talent.

He still offers comprehensive defensive capabilities—at least in single defense. Depending on the matchup, Kumingga may squeeze out the playing time of Moses Moody, who was selected in the same year as him.

If Kuminga has not made progress, it could mean he will have a hard time getting the big contract he longs for from the Warriors or other teams.

The moderate case

Perhaps the most realistic case is between these two extremes. In this case, he was able to improve his 3-point shooting percentage (currently 30.5%) and progress gradually in rebounding and defense.

While his passing skills may never exceed average and scoring depends on athleticism and the ability to occasionally hit mid-range jumpers, he remains the most athletic player in the Warriors lineup.

Even if his performance on the court is not always so ideal, he is still a valuable scorer in a team that sometimes falls into scoring drought for multiple consecutive rounds.

And if veteran sharpshooters Al Horford and D'Anthony Melton sign with the team as generally expected, Kumingga and the rest of the Warriors should benefit from the unfolding on-field space.

If Kuminga accepts qualification quotes and stays healthy, he should have many suitors when he becomes a full free agent at the end of the season.