Here’s how things reportedly went down. <\/p>\n
– Mike Dunleavy Jr. offered Kuminga a two-year deal worth $45 million with a team option in the second season
– Kuminga turned it down, in part because of the team option. He either wanted a higher AAV or a player option
– Dunleavy upped the offer to three years and $75.2 million with a team option in the third season
– Kuminga turned that down as well due to the presence of the team option
– Joe Lacob was against a “balloon” one-year deal because he didn’t want to lose Kuminga for nothing next free agency
– Finally, the Warriors and Kuminga agreed to a two-year deal worth up $48.5 million with a team option in the second season<\/p>\n
In hindsight, it’s easy to see that Kuminga should have taken the $75.2 million offer. He ended up taking an offer with a team option in it anyway at a similar AAV, but he got over $20 million less guaranteed. <\/p>\n
This offseason has proved that the league doesn’t think Kuminga is worth anything close to $75.2 million. It was a reckless offer then, and it looks even more reckless now. <\/p>\n
Guessing What Would Have Happened If He Accepted the $75.2M Offer<\/p>\n
It’s impossible to know what would have happened had he accepted it, but it’s likely that Kuminga and Steve Kerr would have butted heads anyway, except this time trading him would have been much more difficult. <\/p>\n
Part of the reason the Hawks traded for Kuminga was that he was essentially on an expiring contract. And that’s exactly how they treated it, declining the team option and letting him test free agency. <\/p>\n
It’s hard to imagine that the Hawks would have made the same trade\u2014giving up Kristaps Porzingis\u2014had Kuminga’s 2026-27 salary been guaranteed. <\/p>\n
Kuminga might be still be a Warrior, demanding to be traded while the Dubs struggle to find a trade they like. <\/p>\n
Final Thoughts on the Warriors Front Office<\/p>\n
So the Dubs caught a break by Kuminga turning down the bigger offer. But the whole Kuminga saga doesn’t inspire much confidence in the Golden State front office. <\/p>\n
It’s not just about how Dunleavy and Lacob handled the Kuminga negotiations in 2025. It’s also about how much the Warriors invested in Kuminga<\/a> to be their next star\u2014and how many trades they reportedly turned down\u2014only for him to be so far away from stardom that he’s taking a two-year, $12.4 million deal entering his sixth season. <\/p>\n In fairness to Dunleavy, Bob Myers was the GM when Kuminga was drafted, and since Dunleavy has taken over, he’s had a good draft track record. He’s hit on Brandin Podziemski, Quinten Post and Will Richard, and Yaxel Lendeborg’s summer league performance is a good early sign. <\/p>\n Regardless of who’s to blame, the Kuminga era was a mess, with the $75.2 offer being a stark reminder of it. <\/p>\n
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