NBA Rumors: Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors Were 'Never Close' on Contract Extension

Even though the Golden State Warriors tried to negotiate a long-term extension with Jonathan Kuminga before Monday's deadline to get a deal done, the two sides didn't make much progress in their talks.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 2:45 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Kuminga and the Warriors were "never close" on a contract.

The Warriors have been extremely high on Kuminga since using the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA draft to select him. He was a solid role player for his first two seasons before having a nice breakout in 2023-24.

Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters at his end-of-season press conference in April that putting Kuminga at the four spot midway through the year helped unlock his talent and opened up expectations for him going forward.

The Warriors seemed to express their belief in Kuminga as a core player by not including him as part of their trade offers to the Utah Jazz when they were trying to add Lauri Markkanen.

Per NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole, Kuminga was seeking an extension that paid him "well beyond" $30 million per season and made him the second-highest paid player on the team behind Stephen Curry.

Even if the Warriors do believe Kuminga has All-Star potential, it's not unreasonable for them to operate with a bit of caution since he has yet to hit that ceiling.

Andrew Wiggins' four-year, $109 million extension seemed like a bargain when it was signed in October 2022. He was coming off his first All-Star appearance and was arguably their second-best player during the postseason run that ended with a victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Instead, Wiggins has not played anywhere close to that level since getting the deal and his $26.3 million salary going into this season feels like an albatross for the team.

Kuminga will only be a restricted free agent next summer, so the Warriors aren't in danger of losing him if they don't want to. The 22-year-old averaged 16.1 points on 52.9 percent shooting and 4.8 rebounds per game in 74 appearances last season.

Golden State will open the 2024-25 season on Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.