As the end of the regular season draws near, there's increased dicussion surrounding Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Golden State Warriors.
Yet it Kuminga's return from injury, just as much as the current timeline, that's exacerbating the topic as the talented forward looks to re-integrate to a new-look Warrior team following a 31-game absence to an ankle sprain.
The Warriors' biggest threat to stealing Jonathan Kuminga is becoming clearer
Kuminga and Golden State failed to come to terms on a contract extension prior to the season, but the franchise will still have the rights to match any offer sheet that comes the 22-year-old's way as a restricted free agent.
During a six-game span pre-injury where he averaged nearly 25 points per game, there appeared little doubt that the Warriors would do whatever it took to retain Kuminga at whatever number it took. Yet with a less than ideal return from injury, and with Golden State having committed a big extension to Jimmy Butler, there may now be a limit on how high the franchise is willing to go.
Of course, that will largely be determined by Kuminga's market value, and what rival teams are prepared to offer. With few teams holding legitimate cap space, it's becoming clear on who Golden State's biggest threat is to pry the former seventh overall pick away from the Bay.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has recently predicted that Kuminga will end up with the Brooklyn Nets, suggesting that a four-year, $105.5 million contract will be enough for the Warriors to balk at retaining their most talented young player.
"The Warriors can match any offer that the Nets make, but with luxury taxes, aprons and a heavy commitment to Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green over the next two years, they may have a limit on how much they'd spend to retain Kuminga," Pincus wrote.
It's easy to understand why the Nets would have interest in a player of Kuminga's precocious talent. Unlike Golden State, Brooklyn aren't in a position where they're focused wholeheartedly on a deep playoff run, nor hold the veteran players that accompany such expectations.
Are the Warriors really going to let Kuminga walk for nothing, particularly after they could have traded him at multiple points throughout his first four years? That's the question that's still going to face Mike Dunleavy Jr., the front office and ownership, with much still to be resolved over the coming weeks as the remainder of the Warriors' season plays out.