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The Warriors backs will be against the wall in the Jonathan Kuminga situation

It seems like every day there’s a new report on the stalemate between the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga. And for the most part, each “new” report seems to regurgitate a lot of information that we already knew. But even when they do, some pertinent new deals occasionally come forth.

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania penned the latest feature on Kuminga and the Dubs, and while there wasn’t any groundbreaking information, there was a lot worth noting. The human side of the stare down is becoming more and more clear, with the report painting a picture of Joe Lacob asking Kuminga, “Do you want to be here?” with the fifth-year wing responding, “Do you even want me here?”

But the most important details all nudge us in one direction: the Warriors are finding their backs increasingly close to the wall with every passing day and every rejected contract. It’s abundantly clear at this point that Kuminga is seriously considering going the Cam Thomas route and accepting the one-year, $7.9-million Qualifying Offer, with the ESPN report stating, “Kuminga has warmed further to the idea.” And it’s equally clear that the Warriors, while holding strong in negotiations, want to avoid that at all costs.

Well, maybe not at all costs, considering that they haven’t accepted the terms of any of Kuminga’s offers.

The Qualifying Offer would be a ticking time bomb for the Dubs. In theory it could set the table for the team to re-evaluate Kuminga before offering him a better deal next summer, but in reality, that doesn’t appear to be the case, with Slater and Charania writing that Kuminga and his team “views the qualifying offer route as an organizational burning of the long-term relationship.” Translation: don’t call next summer.

Furthermore, Kuminga wouldn’t have much trade value if he accepted the Qualifying Offer, even if he waived the inherent no-trade clause contained in it. At that (relatively) modest mark, and with his Bird Rights not transferring in a trade, Kuminga would not only have suppressed value, but wouldn’t allow the Dubs to hold a large salary spot to exchange for a star.

So if Kuminga accepts the Qualifying Offer — which expires on October 1 — the Warriors are essentially left with one final run with him, and then a fruitless goodbye. Even given the teams concerns with the 2021 lottery pick, it’s fairly clear they don’t want that to happen.

According to the report, that concern has led the Warriors to up their offer, replacing the reported two-year, $45 million deal (with a team option) with a new three-year, $75.2 million offer, which also features a team option. Kuminga’s team, which suggested a three-year, $82 million contract with a player option, is adamant about long-term security, and thus doesn’t want a team option. According to Slater and Charania, the Warriors have countered with a fully-guaranteed three-year deal, though it’s for just $54 million.

The increased offer, while not good enough to get Kuminga to put pen to paper, highlights what the Qualifying Offer has done: it’s put the Warriors back against the wall. While Kuminga still seems to have concerns about his role in Golden State, it’s fairly clear that a team showing belief and faith in him through a long-term, fully-guaranteed deal is what he’s seeking. He’ll likely get it in a year, if he takes the Qualifying offer. The Warriors, however, can’t afford to watch that happen.