Source: Jonathan Kuminga Wants to Become All-Star, Doesn’t Think That Can Happen With Golden State Warriors
NBA restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga wants to become an All-Star and he doesn’t think that can happen with the Golden State Warriors, a source told DallasHoopsJournal.com on Thursday.
Kuminga doesn’t want to play for the Warriors anymore, the source said. The swingman has spent his entire NBA career in Golden State and the franchise wants him back.
However, the source said Kuminga has made it known behind the scenes that he no longer wants to play for the Warriors, who have Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler ahead of him on the scoring option pyramid.
The Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns are interested in Kuminga, the source said. As a restricted free agent, Kuminga has three options: re-sign with the Warriors on a new deal (which he doesn’t want to do), play next season with Golden State on a qualifying offer worth $7.9 million and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason (another option he doesn’t want to do) or sign an offer sheet with a rival team (this is what he wants).
If Kuminga signs an offer sheet with a team, the Warriors can either match the offer sheet or let the 22-year-old leave and execute a sign-and-trade deal.
Kuminga played in 47 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc and 66.8% from the free-throw line.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr benched Kuminga for the final game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Clippers and the play-in game versus the Memphis Grizzlies. Kuminga only played in Games 2 and 3 of the Houston Rockets postseason series because Butler was injured.
The seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga played in every game of the Minnesota Timberwolves playoff series only because Curry got injured in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series.
Jonathan Kuminga has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. It will be fascinating to see where he’s playing next season, but in a perfect world for Kuminga, he will not be back with the Warriors.
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