With a promising three-year start, Jonathan Kuminga could be on the verge of a breakout season in the NBA. Whether or not it will happen with the Warriors is anyone’s guess and Kuminga himself seems unsure of where his path might lead.
“I don’t want to step my foot off track. I’m focusing on how can I be great,” said Kuminga in a chat with Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard. “The better you play, the more you do things, everything’s going to open up itself. So I’m not worried about things like that because I know who I am, I know myself. At the end of the day, it’s just having an opportunity, a chance to go out there and prove. And just waiting for the moment. It’s God’s plan, so I’m not even tripping or thinking about it day to day. Whenever it happens, it’s going to happen.”
“Everybody’s got their time when God opens their doors. My door isn’t open yet. At some point it’s going to be open. Obviously soon or anytime, I know they’re going to be open. If you look at what other people are getting or doing or having, it’s going to slow you down. So I’m not trying to slow down. Try to keep doing what I always do, you know?”
While there have been reports of the Warriors pondering an offer worth $155 million over five years, there have been mixed signals on whether or not they’re interested in a new extension with Jonathan Kuminga. So far nothing has materialized and it seems the young swingman would rather keep everyone in the dark about which way things are leaning.
Kuminga, 21, was drafted 7th overall by the Warriors back in 2021. After a miserable couple of years, where the Warriors were stuck at the bottom of the standings, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody were their consolation prize and they were two pieces who were supposed to help bridge the gap between the new generation and older generation of Warriors.
By the time Kuminga began his rookie season, the team was already in a much better position in the West. Jonathan averaged 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game as the Warriors went on to win their fourth championship in the Curry era.
Slowly but surely Kuminga became a trusted member of Steve Kerr’s rotation and by the end of last season, he was one of their most important wing players with averages of 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 51.3% shooting.
With Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins both dealing with their own problems, it was Kuminga who came through for the Warriors and gave Curry enough support to keep their season alive.
Heading into his fourth season, the expectations are going to be even greater for Kuminga and the Warriors are going to demand more from him than they ever have before. But with just one year left on his deal (worth $7.6 million), he’ll be playing for more than the Warriors’ trust, he’ll be playing for his NBA future.
How he plays over this next season could very well determine his future with the Warriors and it will surely set his salary for the next four/five years. For now, an extension just isn’t in the cards for Kuminga but it doesn’t mean he won’t be back with the Warriors.
For a team desperate to make Steph Curry’s last years meaningful, losing Kuminga for nothing in free agency doesn’t seem like a particularly smart move and it may not be something the Warriors can afford to do if they want to remain competitive for the next few years to come.
