SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Jonathan Kuminga was not present at the Golden State Warriors\u2019 media day on Monday morning, but his absence hovered over everything the organization said and did as his decision regarding a new contract looms.<\/p>\n
Kuminga, 22, has several options on the table regarding a potential future with the organization that drafted him with the seventh pick in 2021, but has yet to pick a direction. As Wednesday night\u2019s qualifying offer deadline gets closer, Kuminga\u2019s teammates were left to speak for him as a new Warriors\u2019 season formally opened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I think he still wants to be here? Yeah, I do think he still wants to be here,\u201d Warriors forward Draymond Green said. \u201cAnd he said that to me, that he still wants to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green\u2019s words and message were clear, but the fact that Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy and head coach Steve Kerr did not speak on media day was unusual for an organization that is widely regarded as one of the most accessible in the league.<\/p>\n
General managers and coaches regularly speak either in the days leading up to, or the day of, a team\u2019s public reveal for a new year. Kerr is expected to speak to reporters following Tuesday\u2019s first practice, with Dunleavy following suit later in the week, but the fact that neither man spoke Monday was noteworthy given how open the Warriors usually are.<\/p>\n
Kuminga\u2019s role with the Warriors was under the microscope since he was drafted into a team with championship aspirations behind veteran leaders Stephen Curry and Green, but it drew particular interest as his restricted free agency became an ongoing soap opera during an otherwise dull NBA free-agency summer. Kuminga\u2019s agent, Aaron Turner, did several media interviews in recent weeks, outlining what the young forward is looking for in terms of both contract and role within the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants a chance to start every night, finish every night,\u201d Turner told the Bay Area sports radio, 95.7 The Game, recently. \u201cHe wants to be a focal point of a team. That\u2019s not a secret. That\u2019s something he works for.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Turner acknowledged on The Game that day, Kuminga\u2019s choices are one year on the qualifying offer, which would essentially give him a no-trade clause for the year for just under $8 million, a two-year deal for $45 million with a team option, three years for $54 million with no option or three years for just over $75 million with a team option in the third year, as ESPN reported.<\/p>\n
The point Turner hammered home, and one of the core issues in the standoff, is the reality that Kuminga could be traded midway through the season as the Warriors chase one more championship with Curry, Green and Jimmy Butler at the forefront. The team option\/player option decision is another core issue for both sides. As it plays out, Curry remains outwardly confident that whenever Kuminga makes his decision, he will be focused and ready to help the Warriors win games.<\/p>\n
\u201cNegotiations are hard, we all know that,\u201d Curry said Monday. \u201cThe idea of everybody\u2019s situations are a little different. Everybody can come up with whatever narrative they want to. That\u2019s how business kind of goes. Some things are pretty straightforward. Some things aren\u2019t. This is definitely in the \u2018aren\u2019t\u2019 category.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when he comes and he\u2019s here, he should be a professional and do exactly what he expects to do and take advantage of his opportunities to help us win.\u201d<\/p>\n