Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga agree on 2-year, $48.5 million deal
Finished a dead end, the limited free agent Jonathan Kuminga accepted a 48.5 million dollars contract over two years to return to the Golden State Warriors, said agent Aaron Turner of Verus Basketball on Tuesday.
The agreement includes a team option in the second year which is designed for the Warriors – or another team if and when Kuminga is exchanged during the coming season – to tear and finish a new contract after the 2025-26 campaign, sources said.
Also on Tuesday, the Warriors agreed with a one -year agreement with free agent Seth Curry, said sources in ESPN, teaming Stephen Curry with his younger brother while the training camp begins on Wednesday. However, the Warriors cannot enter the season with 15 standard players on the list unless they do a business, but Seth Curry should be on the majority of the campaign.
Before the deadline for the qualification offer on Wednesday, Kuminga chose the two -year agreement on a three -year and $ 75 million proposal so that he can maintain a higher level of control over his immediate future of warriors. The Warriors have never wobble in their team’s options during the negotiations. Now, both parties include the probability of exploring the professions when Kuminga is eligible to be moved in mid-January. As part of the agreement, he renounces his clause inherent in non-exchange.
Kuminga missed media day on Monday and the first day of Warriors training on Tuesday while the parties finalized the agreement.
The director general of Warriors, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Kuminga team, were locked up in an impasse throughout the offseason during the contract manager, but Golden State finally increased his offer by two years more than 8 million dollars between July and September and Kuminga warranty about 15 million dollars more than his $ 8 million offer for this season.
In the past two months, the Warriors have had a permanent offer of two years and $ 45 million with a team option, and earlier this month, offered a $ 75 million contract over three years with a team option and an agreement of $ 54 million fully guaranteed. Kuminga and his team wanted a player option throughout the negotiations, or a higher annual salary with a team option, requests that have been refused by the Warriors.
The choice of the two -year structure allows Kuminga to create a decision for which team in which he is next summer or to go to the free agency without restriction of 2027.
The Warriors have led to $ 48.5 million in total over two years in the last and last round of these negotiations. The Kuminga agreement becomes the highest fourth salary of the Warriors’ books next season behind Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green, increasing the luxury tax penalty of the $ 70 million to a total of more than $ 80 million.
By signing Kuminga to a salary of $ 22.5 million next season, Golden State will always have the flexibility to use its taxpayer level of $ 5.7 million and sign two players at least the veteran. Gary Payton II signed a minimum contract of one year on Monday, the veteran with the Warriors, and Al Horford, of the Anthony Melton and the recruit Will Richard also accepted the agreements.
The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento kings were the strongest contenders in Kuminga in trade discussions, with the largest sign and exchange offer to come via the Suns as a four -year agreement, nearly $ 90 million with a player option, sources said. The Warriors have never shown interest in the commercial proposal for one or the other of the teams, however, down the concepts of Royce O’Naale and the choices of the second round of the Suns and Malik Monk and a protected choice in the first round of the Kings.
Kuminga was largely out of the rotation of the Warriors series in the first round against Houston’s Rockets, playing only 50 minutes in total on seven games, including four that he sat because of the coach’s decision. He collected on average six points out of 30.4% shooting against Houston. However, Kuminga shone in the semi-finals series of the Warriors western conference against the Minnesota Timberwolves with Curry sidelined. He collected an average of 20.8 points out of 54.3% shooting against the Timberwolves, including three consecutive games marking more than 20 points to end the series.
Kuminga led the Warriors in painting points per game in each of the last two seasons when he has an average of 10 points in the painting in 2023-24 and 8.5 last season, according to ESPN Research – a major boost for a team that was the most fifth worse of painting points last season. Among the players in the 2021 draft class, Kuminga ranks fifth in points by 36 minutes (minimum 150 games).
Kuminga is also one of the eight players with 3,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in the 2021 draft class, and he is one of the five players to score 3,000 points before being 23 years old in the history of the Warriors.
Kuminga has shown a capacity to increase his performance when the Warriors are missing a key cog, increasing his score average by 14.1 points in matches that Curry played at 19.6 points in 10 curry -free games, which was second in the team in this situation behind 20 points per night of Butler, which only played three curry -free competitions. Kuminga has also increased its percentage of shooting by 44.5% with curry to 48.2% without it.
Kuminga becomes the third restricted free agent to find a resolution in September, after Cam Thomas signed a one -year qualification offer and $ 6 million to return to Brooklyn Nets and Josh Giddey concluded a 100 million dollars contract over four years to stay with the Chicago Bulls. Quentin Grimes de Philadelphia remains the last limited free agent in progress.
Upon entering a free agency this summer, only a few teams had a wage ceiling space, which created a frost for the restricted market. The nets worked as the only team with a real wage ceiling space for the majority of the offseason.
