The Warriors don t want to lose Kumingga for nothing, but don t want to take over Monk s contract in the signing with the King

Translator's note: The original text was published in The Athletic. The data in the article were as of the time of the original text (September 25 local time). The dates and times involved were less than a week since the deadline for forward Jonathan Kumingga to decide the fate of his contract with the Warriors. The longest delay in the league is finally coming to an end. But the result is still uncertain, and it could have a significant impact on the Warriors' ability to continue to build a team around him during Stephen Curry's golden years.

22-year-old Kumingga must accept a qualification offer (worth $7.9 million) by October 1, three days after the team's training camp began, which will allow him to become a full free agent next summer. Moreover, due to the contract's own transaction veto power, Kumingga can also regain control of his future. If Kumingga chooses not to accept qualification offers, he can accept a more paid but more restrictive offer from the Warriors that he made to him during the offseason.

However, according to team sources, there is another possible situation here: sign first and then exchange with the Kings. Although the two teams have not discussed the matter in more than a month, team sources said negotiations between the two sides had restarted earlier this week. Although the negotiations have not made significant progress, it is worth noting that the Kings have not given up on their hopes of bringing Cumingga to Sacramento this season: They offered a three-year, $63 million contract to get him, and for this, they have signed a sign-to-change chip including veteran defender Malik Monk and the 2030 Lotto protection first-round pick. There are still several obstacles in the

trading, the most important of which is that the Warriors' interest in Monk seems to be quite cold. Monk's contract is the main issue, as he has a $21.5 million player option in the 2027-28 season, which is inconsistent with the Warriors' future salary flexibility. In addition, the Warriors also have doubts about whether Monk can integrate into the team.

team sources said that if the Warriors do take over Monk, they will likely seek to trade him elsewhere. However, the problem with this solution is that it is not clear whether this can be achieved in the short term. The Warriors can create some of the cap space they want by trading Buddy Heard or Moses Moody to keep below the first-tier luxury tax line, but the message they have been conveying in this painful process is that they refuse to do so — in large part because of their love for both players. This signal has become even stronger in recent weeks.

But if the Warriors were to change their positions and complete the deal, it was clear that the King would have to make concessions in terms of the protection of the draft pick. And this is the key problem in the next few days.

From the King's standpoint, Kumingga's performance is not like a lottery show, so an unprotected first-round pick should not be required in return. If the draft pick fails to deliver on 2030, it will become the one with the lower pick in the first round of the Kings and Spurs in 2031. In any case, under the current trading structure, the Warriors will get a first-round pick. More importantly, the Kings consider Monk a dynamic player and they are reluctant to lose him. And putting aside the complexity of the contract, Monk can immediately bring help to the Warriors. The possibility of the king removing the rank protection completely is extremely small, but it is worth pondering whether their prospect of reducing the protection in the coming days is enough to reach a deal. Another result that the Warriors don't want to see - losing the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft next summer - is in front of them. Of course, the premise is that Kumingga is really willing to accept qualification quotations.

As team sources confirmed to The Athletic, the Warriors recently raised their offer, offering a contract with a $48 million guaranteed amount (a three-year, third-year option). Kumingga's final decision essentially boils down to a trade-off analysis of short-term finance (the $40 million margin gap between the two options of the Warriors) and long-term freedom (the chance to go where you want to go a year later).

Kuminga's final decision, and the consequences that followed, are awaiting us.

Author: Sam Amick

Translator: GWayNe