Jonathan Kuminga Wants Similar Contract to Two NBA All-Stars: Report

As of now, the Warriors have only been willing to go up to a two-year, $45 million deal with a team option on the second year, as that gives them more options to trade him. That hasn't interested Kuminga.

Some may be asking, why is Kuminga asking for so much when he's yet to be a consistent member of Steve Kerr's rotations?

Kuminga sets the bar high for himself

According to a league source of the San Francisco Chronicle 's Ron Kroichick, "[Kuminga] apparently thinks he’s at the Cade Cunningham-Scottie Barnes level, where he should get that type of contract... It’s really a quandary. I think it’s bad for the Warriors and bad for him."

Cunningham and Barnes are two of the gems of the 2021 NBA Draft, with Cunningham going first and Barnes going fourth. Barnes won the Rookie of the Year Award that season and made the All-Star Game in his third year, while Cunningham was an All-Star and a Third-Team All-NBA selection this season.

It's safe to say that Kuminga isn't at that level yet, and it would instantly be considered one of the worst contracts in the NBA if he were given an extension similar to Barnes and/or Cunningham.

Barnes signed a five-year, $224 million max extension that is set to kick in this season, and a lot of people around the NBA already don't view that contract in a great light. If people are having questions about Barnes, who has averaged 19.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 5.9 APG in his last two seasons, they're going to question Kuminga's contract even more.

Why Kuminga is Likely Headed Toward the Qualifying Offer

The deadline to accept the qualifying offer is October 1st, although both parties could agree to extend that deadline. But the Warriors have remained firm in not wanting to pay top dollar for him, nor negotiate a sign-and-trade unless they receive significant value in return.

The same can be said for Kuminga, who seemingly views himself in too high a manner and would be satisfied to accept the qualifying offer if it gives him more flexibility in his future. So, unless the Warriors change their minds and increase the offer for Kuminga, this could be headed to the rare situation of a player accepting his qualifying offer.

There haven't been many instances of players betting on themselves with a qualifying offer and it paying out. The last five players to take that offer were Miles Bridges (a unique case), Denzel Valentine, Rodney Hood, Nerlens Noel, and Alex Len. That's not a great sign if Kuminga does opt into his qualifying offer.