A raised offer... but not yet accepted
The Warriors have moved to a higher speed. New deal on the table: three years, $75.2 million, with the third season under team option. So far, the offer had a different format: two years for 45 million.
But what really blocks is not the amount. It's the structure. Kuminga and his camp want to get an option player on the last year of the contract rather than a team option. It is this point of friction that the player emphasizes as unavoidable.
Control or nothing
Kuminga is not just negotiating numbers. He's negotiating power. An option player is less long-term guarantees for the team, but more flexibility for itself. It is the possibility to choose, not to stay in an imposed contract, to push for a larger role if his play further progresses. His camp indicated that he would be prepared to revise the salary downwards (in the 20 million per year area) if this clause were included. The Warriors, on the other hand, remain firm on the team option, arguing that they want to preserve the margin, avoid the risk even though the player is gaining power.
When the deadline approaches, everything gets heavier
October 1st weighs on this case like a cutlet. This is the deadline to accept the 7.9 million qualifying offer, which Kuminga considered unenviable, but which would have certain advantages: to become an unrestricted free agent the following year, to lift or waive certain clauses, etc. Time is running out. For the Warriors, every day without agreement blocks their team building. The workforce remains incomplete, trade or signature options more restricted until Kuminga is settled. For him, every hour without a decision weighs: stay, leave, start or rotate, win or just be used.
Risk, ambition, potential
What makes this file exciting: Kuminga has arguments. Last season, he turned 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds in 47 games.
He showed that he can weigh, especially during playoffs when Golden State needed external impacts.
But the potential is not enough. Being on a team like the Warriors, with Curry, Green, Butler, is great for learning. But it also sometimes leads to an uneven, fluctuating role. Kuminga and his camp want to avoid a contract that bridles him, which puts him on the bench on the evenings of great influence or imposes a route drawn in advance.
What will the Warriors lean toward?
The front office is stuck. If they give in to the request to play option, they get a happier player, more invested, but take an increased contractual risk. If they stick to the team option, they keep control but take the risk that Kuminga will not feel respected or even leave as soon as he can.
If I had to bet, I'd say something's gonna move fast. The 75.2 million offer is large enough to show that they want to retain it. If Warriors changes this option, even slightly, Kuminga could sign. Otherwise, we left for an autumn of tension, rumors of trade, and a Golden State team waiting.
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