Warriors Projected to Lose Budding Star to $105 Million Bid: Analyst
Rising star Jonathan Kuminga may be playing the last stretch of an up-and-down four-year stint with the Golden State Warriors.
Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert predicts Kuminga, who will become a restricted free agent after this season, to leave the Warriors to sign with the Brooklyn Nets.
“Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors were far apart in extension talks this past fall. The Nets could gamble that a solid offer is enough to pry the forward loose for less than he wants but more than Golden State will pay.
They could give him a four-year, $105.5 million offer sheet starting at $28.5 million (if it descends). Brooklyn can include a trade kicker and advances to try to swing Kuminga its way,” Pincus wrote.
Since Kuminga is a restricted free agent, Pincus noted that “The Warriors can match any offer that the Nets make, but with luxury taxes, aprons, and a heavy commitment to Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green over the next two years, they may have a limit on how much they’d spend to retain Kuminga.”
Warriors Need to Make Salary Cap Gymnastics
Kuminga’s camp was “aiming for” a $35 million annual average salary, The Athletic reported in the fall, but the Warriors were only willing to go to $30 million.
But so much has changed since then. They now have an expensive trio of veteran stars that leaves little room for them to accommodate Kuminga’s wishes to get paid like an ascending star.
The Warriors have roughly $166 million in guaranteed salaries for seven players led by their star trio and role players Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
