With increased motivation to re-sign Jonathan Kuminga this week, and having held a high asking price in sign-and-trade negotiations, the Golden State Warriors are still looking to bring back the talented forward and are wary of relinquishing him to a rival team.
That might even be more the case after a league executive delivered a notable player comparison that suggests Kuminga can still become a high-level starting-calibre player in the NBA.
Jonathan Kuminga has again been compared to Jaden McDaniels
A recent report from Fred Katz of the Athletic polling 16 league executives found a general consensus that Kuminga's next contract should be a two or three-year deal at around $20 million per season.
However, one anonymous executive was optimistic in suggesting Kuminga should get a five-year, $125 million contract, while comparing the former seventh overall pick to Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels.
“McDaniels is great in his role, but J.K. is more talented and has higher upside if he ever can hit,” the team executive said.
McDaniels' five-year, $131 million contract with the Timberwolves had been previously viewed as a marker for what Kuminga could expect, but that's now out of reach after another year in which the 22-year-old's role continued to fluctuate.
But if there's still a thought that Kuminga can join McDaniels as an athletic forward that can contribute significantly on a playoff team, then the Warriors would be doing themselves a disservice by selling him at such a low point this offseason.
McDaniels has been a starting forward for Minnesota over the last three seasons, including over the past two in which the franchise has reached the Western Conference Finals. The 24-year-old averaged a career-high 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals this past season, increasing his scoring to 14.7 points on 38.2% shooting from 3-point range during the playoffs.
Kuminga may have more natural scoring ability than McDaniels, but getting him to buy into more of a supplementary role where he prioritizes defense has been the biggest aspect holding him back from reaching a similar level of player.
Golden State are clearly wary of him taking off and becoming a star with another team, particularly if it's a direct divisional rival given the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns are the two leading suitors to acquire him in a sign-and-trade.
The Warriors (and others) may still believe in Kuminga reaching a similar or high stature than McDaniels, but his resistance in signing a contract would suggest he still doesn't believe the Bay is the place to make it happen.