As the Golden State Warriors have sought out a potential contract extension with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, his expectations to be valued as a franchise cornerstone have brought the two sides to an impasse.
Now, with the recent revelation that he views himself on the level of players like Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes, Los Angeles Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha has pointed out the absurdity of his claim, backing up the Warriors' stance that he should return on a short-term, tradeable deal.
Although Kuminga is certainly a dynamic young player with the potential to grow into an impact piece for a competitive team, he is also certainly not the number one option that Cunningham and Barnes represent for their respective franchises.
NBA Analysts know what sort of value Kuminga presents to the Warriors
Jovan Buha, when asked about the potential of the Warriors pursuing a trade for Lebron James, brought up Kuminga's value as a concern in any potential deal, saying "I think [regarding] some of the stuff about [Kuminga] viewing himself as a number one option... there's a fine line between confidence and delusion, and I think some of the stuff that's come out about Kuminga's camp and what he wants has trended more on the delusion side."
Kuminga, entering this offseason, was reportedly seeking a long-term deal with an annual value around $30 million: a figure that sits markedly below the contracts of Cunningham of Barnes but would put him in the upper echelon of players on their rookie extensions.
However, Kuminga has done very little, at least concretely in his tenure with the Warriors, to prove himself worthy of such a hefty sum.
In 2023-24, his best season with the organization, Kuminga averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists through 74 games. Cunningham, in his third season in the NBA, averaged 22.7 points 4.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists. Barnes, in his third season, averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
Moreover, Kuminga's lack of a perimeter shot and general unwillingness to take the necessary defensive strides in his game have severely dampened his value to the organization, making him essentially unplayable alongside Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
As a powerful cutter and rim-runner, Kuminga presents a unique skill-set and a powerful athleticism that could allow him to eventually become one of the most dynamic scorers in the league. Yet, as Buha points out, his inability to complete his game to this point, or even to score like a number one option, makes his claims laughably ridiculous.