Warriors intel reveals Kuminga's price tag and why it may give them sticker shock

Forward Jonathan Kuminga is set to enter his fourth year with the Golden State Warriors and may soon be significantly richer. According to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, Kuminga is seeking a max rookie contract that would pay him $224 million over 5 years. Factor in that he still has the final year of his rookie-scale deal remaining and he would be under contract for six seasons if he got that deal.

Paying a player $46 million on average despite never having averaged more than 16.1 points per game would likely give many pause, and the Warriors may have a similar reaction. After all, they let Klay Thompson walk and waived Chris Paul to be able to regain financial flexibility.

Both moves were likely done with an eye towards keeping Kuminga but perhaps not at that price tag. If the two sides can't agree to an extension by October 18th, 2025, then he can become a restricted free agent after next season.

That would give other teams a chance to try and steal him away and while the Warriors can match any offer, a team can offer a shorter deal that would still pay him max money while allowing him to hit free agency again much sooner.

Will the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga come to terms on a new agreement before next season?

The prospect of restricted free agency usually scares both teams and players into getting an extension done, though restricted free agency favors the team. Still, there are several teams that will have major cap space next summer and they could each try to make a run at Kuminga.

That would be risky for the Warriors, especially if he sees playing a bigger role on a worse team as his best way to maximize his potential rather than as a second option to Steph Curry. However, the more likely option is that Kuminga and the Warriors meet somewhere in the middle, giving him a huge pay raise that will hopefully look like a bargain as the cap rises.

That could be in the range of $160 million to $180 million or between $32 million and $36 million a year. It would be a lot for the Warriors to invest in Kuminga but if they feel that he has the potential to be a star, then that could turn out to be a great contract in a couple of seasons.