Retired 12-year NBA veteran Jeff Teague has Jonathan Kuminga’s back during the young forward’s contractual dispute with the Warriors.
Teague explained why Kuminga, rightfully, is pushing for a three-year deal with a player option in Thursday’s edition of his “Club 520” podcast.
“He doesn’t want a team option,” Teague said. “Who wants a team option when they’re that young, honestly? He’s what, 22 years old? You don’t want a team option in your deal. You want a player option. You want to be able to control your destiny.
“If you have a good Year 1 [and] a good Year 2, you want to be able to opt out and get a new bag. But if I have a great year and I have a team option, they’re going to bring me back on that same year — at lower money; maybe y’all talk [about] an extension or whatever, but you want to be able to have that option to get out of there.”
Kuminga, entering his fifth season with Golden State, wants control over his future. It has been reported that he doesn’t want to remain with the Warriors to be a trade pawn, and as Teague explains, the swingman also doesn’t want to forgo control in the final season of a possible three-year deal.
Teague believes a three-year deal with a player option makes perfect sense for Kuminga. If he plays well, he’ll have a chance at even more money. If he struggles, he still has security.
“He’s trying to solidify that money for two years and then be able to move on because he knows he’s going to play well,” Teague said. “But he also wants to know, like, ‘If I’m not playing well … y’all can’t just cut me [during] that third year. I got a choice to come back if I’m not playing well.’”
Neither side has budged with Warriors training camp roughly two weeks away. Golden State, of course, is operating with the team’s best interest in mind. But Kuminga wants three things that Teague alluded to: money, opportunity and security.
The clock is ticking for both sides to determine their future.