You may have noticed that I have desperately tried to avoid writing about Kuminga until there is a solid update.
Well, here is the best update so far:
the original ESPN Slater and Shams article which is well worth reading
Here are the new nuggets.
Dunleavy offered Kuminga a 3-year, $75.2 million deal with a team option in the third season.
Kuminga wants $30 million a year in exchange for the team option.
Kuminga really wants a player option, but the Warriors refuse.
Kuminga offered to take a larger version of the one-year qualifying offer in order to make the contract more tradable.
How generous. - Eric
Lacob rejected this.
Kuminga has offered 3-year, $82 million with player option. GSW declined.
And this paragraph:
Kuminga's personal relationship with Kerr isn't a problem. The messaging from Kerr and the Warriors is that Kuminga would have a substantial role to open next season, per sources. They could use his youth and scoring on the wing. But in negotiations, Kuminga's side has regularly referred to some postseason comments where Kerr highlighted the difficulty of fitting Kuminga next to Curry, Butler and Green for heavy minutes and expecting to win at the highest level. It's proof to them that the basketball fit is less than ideal for the trajectory of Kuminga's career.
I personally regard Kerr's comments on Kuminga's fit to be basic and obvious.
The first season salary is also a crucial point of negotiation. While the Warriors haven't officially made any moves this summer, they've lined up all their other roster targets to pursue after the Kuminga domino falls, sources said.
The Warriors have planned to at least use their taxpayer midlevel -- Al Horford is the target -- and have had strong discussions with veterans De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Seth Curry, sources said. It's why Curry, Butler and Green are not agitating behind the scenes. They know the strategy, sources said, and have approved that anticipated result.
But the tentative plan hard caps them at the second apron and means $22.5 million is the most they could give Kuminga next season while holding 15 rostered players, a figure that has so far proven too low for Kuminga to accept in a multiyear deal attached to a team option.
This is the first time I’ve seen the Seth Curry discussions described as “strong".
And the heat goes on…