SAN FRANCISCO — Like the rest of his Warriors teammates, Jonathan Kuminga sat down with general manager Mike Dunleavy and coach Steve Kerr on Thursday in the wake of their elimination from the NBA playoffs and talked about where he fit on their roster heading into the summer.
These exit interviews are typically routine. But Kuminga’s situation is hardly typical.
“I don’t know,” the 22-year-old former lottery pick repeated over and over when it was time for him to head downstairs and meet with the media for the public portion of the day. “I don’t know what the future is going to be.”
The Warriors’ 121-110 loss to the Timberwolves on Wednesday put an end to Kuminga’s fourth professional season since Golden State drafted him seventh overall, but neither he nor the Warriors could say with certainty which uniform he would be wearing come September.
Kuminga will be a restricted free agent, meaning he can seek out a new team on the open market. The Warriors, however, are reportedly expected to extend him a $7.9 million qualifying offer and will have the ability to match any contract he is offered by another team.
“He’s been dealt a very tough hand, to be honest,” Steph Curry said. “… I hope the future is bright for him, whether it’s here, whether it’s whereever.”
“His future is bright, whether it’s here or whether it’s somewhere else,” echoed Draymond Green. “His future is bright. That type of talent usually figures it out.”
All it takes to see why chairman Joe Lacob has been so enamored with the potential of the high-flying wing is to catch a glimpse of Kuminga’s past four games. With Curry sidelined, he was the Warriors’ most reliable scorer, averaging 24.3 points per game on 55.4%/38.9%/72.0% shooting splits.
But that wasn’t enough to beat the Timberwolves — Golden State lost all four games — and Kuminga has yet to prove he can play as effectively alongside Curry, who will turn 38 next year. He showed glimpses, scoring in double figures in 17 straight games in December, before an ankle injury forced him out until March. By the time he was healed, Kuminga had lost his rotation spot to the Warriors’ midseason acquisition, Jimmy Butler III.
“There was some ups and downs. That’s how life goes. But I had fun. I had a great time. I enjoy playing here,” Kuminga said. “It was tough. Playing great, and then things like that happen. I didn’t let (it get me) down. I just went to rehab every other day, tried to get better, and I came back to a completely different team.”
Kuminga at times has had a contentious relationship with Kerr, who has tended to prioritize Golden State’s current championship window over laying the groundwork for the next one. He started only 10 of the 47 games he appeared in, and in December said other players would “need a therapist” if they had received the same inconsistent playing time.
On Thursday, he described his relationship with Kerr as “very good,” though the coach reiterated the need for Kuminga to crash the glass. He still only grabbed 14 rebounds despite playing 124 minutes in the four games without Curry.
Kuminga said he believed he has “grown a lot” in his four years with Golden State, and the numbers bare that out. He was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer at 15.3 points per game before Butler arrived and was getting to the free-throw line at the highest clip of his career.
The biggest sign of growth in Green’s eyes, however, was on display on the defensive side of the ball during a possession against Minnesota. Kuminga was assigned to defend Anthony Edwards, and rather than rolling with the screener attempting to make him switch off him, he assessed the situation and doubled back to put another body on the Timberwolves’ dynamic scorer.
“I pulled him aside and I said, ‘Now you playing, because you’re making reads defensively,’” Green said. “That’s a play he wouldn’t have made three months ago.”
Whether or not his development continues in gold and black, nobody knows. Teams may begin negotiating with free agents at 3 p.m. on June 30 and will be eligible to sign them at midnight one week later. Kuminga, who made $7.6 million this season, has been said to desire a contract comparable to other lottery picks from the 2020 draft, which would pay him $30 million or more annually.
“I don’t know anything about what the future is holding for me,” Kuminga said, again. “But just looking forward to it.”
Pending free agents
Two other mainstays are set to hit free agency this summer: Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II.
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Looney, 29, was drafted by Golden State 30th overall in 2015 and is one of the longest-tenured players on any team. Payton, 32, played a part in their 2022 championship, signed a free-agent contract in Portland and was traded back to the Warriors only a few months later.
“I think I always want to be here. This is where I was drafted at. Been here a long time. I hope the feeling is mutual,” said Looney, who added that Dunleavy and Kerr expressed a desire to bring back the 6-foot-9 big man. “But it’s the NBA; things always change, especially when you don’t win it all. I’m just ready for whatever.”
Payton said it was an “interesting” season — “interesting but fun” — and also hoped to run it back with Golden State.
“I love this organization. I love playing for Steve. Love the guys they bring in to try to help win,” Payton said. “They know how I feel. We’ll take it one day at a time.”
