The Golden State Warriors season is officially over, having been eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 at Target Center on Wednesday night.
Attention will now turn towards the offseason for the Warriors and a host of key decisions to be made, starting with young forward Jonathan Kuminga who may have just played his last game for the franchise.
Significant doubt surrounds Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Warriors
Golden State still hold a semblance of control on Kuminga's situation given he'll become a restricted free agent, meaning the franchise has the right to match any rival offer that comes his way. However, Kuminga's inconsistent playing time over recent weeks suggests the Warriors still question if he's a big part of their present and future, particularly given it might take a $20+ million per year deal to bring him back.
The 22-year-old's future with Golden State appeared all but over when he was out of the rotation for six of an eight-game span starting at the final game of the regular season, yet Stephen Curry's hamstring injury did open the door for Kuminga to re-take a prominent role.
The former seventh overall pick led the Warriors in scoring over the final four games of the series, having gone for a playoff career-high 30 points in Game 3, followed by 23 and 26-point performances in Games 4 and 5.
Perhaps the positive individual ending for Kuminga raises optimism that he may remain with Golden State, but there's still hefty concerns on his fit with Curry, Jimmy Butler and company if he's going to be on a massive contract.
The Ringer's Logan Murdock reported on Wednesday that "Kuminga’s propensity to look for his shot at the expense of the flow of Golden State’s offense has irked the coaching staff," while pointing to a specific play late in the regular season that led to his axing from the rotation.
Can the Warriors afford to pay Kuminga without giving him the primary offensive role he seemingly needs to be effective? Can they afford to let a player walk who's talented enough to drop 30 in a playoff game? Is there a reasonable sign-and-trade scenario that lands them adequate value in return?
These are the questions facing Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office this offseason, with the input from Joe Lacob and Steve Kerr also set to be fascinating given the reported contrast in their views of Kuminga.
Kuminga has played 258 regular season games for the Warriors over his four years, holding career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 50.7% shooting from the floor and 33.2% from 3-point range.