An exhausting summer of free agency negotiations may have caused us all to forget that Jonathan Kuminga can still be really good. On Tuesday night, in the Warriors season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, the 23 year-old was great. Even more exciting, that greatness came in the form of shooting and facilitation, two facets which Kuminga is not known for. He dished six assists — something he did exactly one time all of last year — and hit four 3-pointers, something he did zero times last year.
Basically, Kuminga just played one of the most well-rounded and impactful games he's played since the start of last year. That's about as good a start as you could hope for from a guy who's faced questions about how much he wants to be in Golden State, and how much the team wants him to be there. But games like last night prove why any team would love a player like Kuminga. Or, more specifically, why any team would love the player Kuminga can be.
What would a huge Jonathan Kuminga season mean for his future?
I'm not really sure, to be honest. Of course, a player on the Warriors having a great year would be good for the Warriors. That's kind of the point of this whole thing. But Kuminga's deal — which has a team option next season — felt like it's structured this way so the Warriors can find a trade partner for him this year, and then that team could ink him to a long-term extension.
However, I also think that came with the assumption that Kuminga would be mostly the same player he was last year; very good at times, but unreliable on a night-to-night basis. If he evolves into an elite connecting piece (I won't jump to any conclusions after one game) and provides positive impact every night, that complicates things — but maybe for the better. Because, despite the tension, Kuminga is still under team control for two seasons.
On-court success can help rebuild bridges. So even if the relationship between the Warriors and Kuminga seemed frayed this summer, it could be saved by a leap from the fourth-year wing, which would in turn lead to assurance that he'll get a longer deal next summer.
At that point, any past tension would be water under said bridge. If Kuminga plays anything like he did on Tuesday for the entire 2025-26 season, then a dramatic RFA saga will become ancient history. There's a reason that, despite it all, the Warriors made sure to get a deal done with the budding young talent.