Warriors should look at former guard as realistic contract offer for rising star

An element of shock has derived from reports of Jonathan Kuminga's wish for a max contract extension, with very few believing the Golden State Warriors forward has done enough to warrant a five-year, $224 million deal.

Kuminga is coming off a strong second half to last season where he averaged over 18 points on excellent efficiency, yet it's still a small sample size in which to evaluate what the 21-year-old may be worth on his next contract.

What sort of contract should the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga come to an agreement to before next season?

There's no doubt that future potential is a significant part in determining a rookie extension, but the Warriors would have liked a little more substance by this point of the young forward's career. Much of that can be blamed on themselves, with the inconsistent playing opportunity offered to him and fellow 2021 lottery pick Moses Moody having been a major storyline over the past couple of seasons.

It would be highly surprising if Golden State came to the party on a max extension this offseason, leaving a likelihood that Kuminga could forego a new deal until he enters restricted free agency next year.

There should be a middle ground to be found though -- one that's not at the full max level but still a generous deal heavily based on Kuminga's future potential. The last time the Warriors found themselves in a rookie extension situation, they handed Jordan Poole a four-year, $128 million contract before trading him before it even begun.

Poole was a much more proven player heading into his fourth year, having been a key part of Golden State's 2022 championship team. However, on the flip side you could argue that Kuminga's combination of size and athleticism makes his future potential much more valuable as a multi-faceted two-way presence, rather than Poole as a microwave scorer who can often struggle if his shot isn't falling.

Poole's $32 million annually should provide a good basis for Kuminga's contract negotiations. A five-year, $160 million deal is a reasonable balance between the Warriors taking enough risk for it to prove more than worthwhile from Kuminga's perspective, while the former seventh overall pick acknowledges that he hasn't quite done enough to be worth the full max at this stage.

Don't underestimate the optics of this rather than just the money, with Kuminga undoubtedly believing he falls on the same level as the likes of Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner who have already signed max deals this offseason.