The Golden State Warriors want to retain Jonathan Kuminga and have presented strong contract offers to the young forward, but convincing him that they can provide an environment where they can fulfil his wish of becoming star remains problematic.
Kuminga has thus far turned down offers from the Warriors and is in no rush according to ESPN on Thursday, with the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings both viewed as potential destinations for the young forward.
The Warriors can still offer Jonathan Kuminga an opportunity to thrive
Kuminga's situation is just as much about the on-court role and playing opportunity than it is about the actual contractual numbers. His time under Steve Kerr at Golden State has been a constant wave of turbulence and uncertainty, something that the Suns and Kings have promised won't be the case were he to join one of the two pacific rivals.
"Kuminga is in search of a more guaranteed, consistent starting role and featured opportunity, sources said. That's something the Suns and Kings have pitched," ESPN's Anthony Slater wrote.
Yet a deeper look at the comparative rosters would suggest the Warriors are actually in a better position to provide Kuminga greater opportunity in the short and long-term. Golden State still need a third scorer to ease the burden on veterans Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, with Slater stating that "Kuminga would be a significant part of the Warriors' rotation to open next season (if he re-signs)."
Let's dive into the Kings first who have assembled a roster that doesn't make a lot of sense right now, and nor does it make total sense for Kuminga. Sacramento have ball-dominant veteran players in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and the recently signed former Warrior Dennis Schroder, while also possessing a skilled offensive big man in Domantas Sabonis.
What guarantee would there be that Kuminga even gets the offensive opportunity that he craves? He just needs to look at fellow young forward Keegan Murray as an example after his shot attempts dropped from his second to third season. Perhaps the Kings could persuade Kuminga by suggesting the roster is going to change dramatically in time, yet trying to trade LaVine, DeRozan or even Sabonis isn't exactly going to be easy.
Then we have the Suns who have revamped the roster completely with the departures of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Devin Booker will still be leading the offense, and perhaps Kuminga believes he could slot into a number two role offensively.
Yet the recently arrived Jalen Green won't give up that mantle easily. The former No. 2 overall pick is essentially a guard version of Kuminga, believing he's a star offensive talent while also holding inefficiencies and other concerning elements that leads to various opinions of him around the league.
Booker and Green are also 28 and 23-years-old respectively, suggesting they're unlikely to have the amount of regular season rest or injury concerns that Curry and Butler are likely to have at the Warriors.
These teams could offer Kuminga a guaranteed starting spot that Golden State might not be able to, but if the former seventh overall pick is good enough, his play may demand for him to start over Draymond Green anyway. The veteran forward is 35 and will rest plenty of nights himself, while already showing a willingness to come off the bench behind Kuminga.
If Kerr and Kuminga can patch things up and work mutually together, there's a very distinct pathway in which the Warriors can actually grant the youngster a more favorable situation than what he'd get in Sacramento or Phoenix.