Speculation has swirled in recent weeks about Jonathan Kuminga’s reluctance to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors. While some fans accuse him of being selfish and media outlets suggest he’s chasing stardom, his agent, Aaron Turner, insists the holdup stems from practical concerns.
Kuminga’s contract saga began as soon as the 2024-2025 NBA season ended. The Patrick School alum is seeking a substantial pay raise and rare contract flexibility for a player who’s about to turn 23.
According to ESPN insiders Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, the Warriors have offered Kuminga a three-year, $75 million deal with a team option for a fourth year. Turner says they’re not opposed to a team option-but they’d prefer a more flexible arrangement.
What does Kuminga really want?
In a recent interview on ESPN’s The Hoop Collective podcast, Turner revealed that Kuminga is seeking a player option for the fourth year of his contract. Still, he’s open to signing the Warriors’ current offer-if the price is right.
“I pitched the player option deal to give him flexibility,” Turner explained. “We haven’t said no to a team option. Our theory is, if you want a team option and you want to remove his no-trade clause-which the qualifying offer inherently includes-that’s a different price. You’ve got to pay for that.”
Turner emphasized that the team needs to meet Kuminga halfway. “If we’re coming back here and it’s about winning now-this is probably Steph’s last window to win-then help us out on the back end of the deal, because we’re going to be sacrificing what we just talked about,” he said.
Kuminga wants to win-not just shine
Turner also pushed back against claims that Kuminga is focused solely on personal stats. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. He just wants to be part of what’s going on. Of course, he wants the ball more, wants it in his hands-but he’s not a guy who doesn’t want to win,” he said.
Re-signing with the Warriors appears to be Kuminga’s most realistic path forward. While rumored interest from teams like Sacramento and Phoenix persists, Kuminga is a restricted free agent. That means Golden State can match any offer sheet to retain him-and likely will.
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