The Golden State Warriors have basically spent their entire offseason trying to resolve their stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga. Not knowing whether Kuminga was going to be traded or re-signed at a team-friendly figure or on the one-year qualifying offer meant staying in a holding pattern with other rumored targets like Al Horford, Gary Payton II and De'Anthony Melton.
Those three didn't sign anywhere else, making it pretty clear that they intended to sign with Golden State and just needed to wait until the Kuminga situation was resolved. With Media Days today and training camps open tomorrow, all three have made it clear that they will indeed be in Golden State.
As it stands, Kuminga has four options in front of him, with midnight Wednesday as his deadline to decide. The Warriors have three standing offers:
- Two years, $45 million with a team option for the second year
- Three years, $75 million with a team option for the third year
- Three years, $54 million with no team or player options
The fourth option, which expires at that Wednesday deadline, is a one-year, $8 million qualifying offer. This seems to be the most attractive to Kuminga as it comes with a no-trade clause and would put him into unrestricted free agent next summer. He very much wanted to be traded, but the Warriors weren't budging on that or their offers. If Kuminga really wants a new home as soon as possible, the qualifying offer is the way to go.
Whatever his salary is, Kuminga will most likely be on the Warriors roster next season and with these three new pieces, there is suddenly a lot of depth to work with.
Warriors rotation projected rotation with Al Horford and other signings
POSITION | STARTER | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
PG | Steph Curry | De'Anthony Melton |
SG | Brandin Podziemski | Moses Moody |
SF | Jimmy Butler | Buddy Hield |
PF | Draymond Green | Jonathan Kuminga |
C | Al Horford | Trayce-Jackson Davis |
Horford is 39 and will presumably take over as the starting center, but will presumably split minutes quite a bit with Jackson-Davis and Draymond Green in small ball lineups to minimize wear-and-tear on him. In terms of skill, Horford is a fantastic fit — a floor spacing big who can handle multiple roles on defense.
The only other real question in the starting lineup is whether Buddy Hield or Brandin Podziemski starts in the backcourt next to Curry. Hield is the more accomplished player, but his scoring might fit better with the second unit, and Podz's defense and connective skills on offense with the starters.
Kuminga almost certainly isn't a started but assume they can get on the same page, he's likely playing a lot of minutes at both the 3 and the 4, backing up both Green and Butler. Payton and Melton are both coming off the bench, with Melton more likely to see consistent minutes. He's a complementary creator, strong defender and reliable outside shooter. Payton is just a defender and finisher, which means his role his more situational, and he'll probably play behind Moses Moody as well. Moody has come a long way, averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists last season, shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc. He may
This is a veteran roster, and injuries and rest have the potential to dramatically reshape this rotation as the season goes along. The Warriors are still light in the frontcourt and a lot is resting on Horford. But this is a deep and talented roster, and Mike Dunleavy has made the most of his limited cap flexibility.