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Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a three-point basket against the Houston Rockets.

Jonathan Kuminga is once again the fulcrum for the Golden State Warriors’ future — whether in trade talks this offseason or in the months to come.

The 21-year-old forward faces a choice: accept a team-friendly three-year, $75.2 million extension with $48.3 million guaranteed over the first two seasons, or bet on himself by playing out the year on a $7.9 million qualifying offer. Either option leaves the Warriors with the flexibility to sign veteran free agents. But should Kuminga take the qualifying offer, Golden State would be limited in what it could recoup in a future trade.

Slater: Playoff Success Fuels Kuminga’s Ambition

Kuminga’s contract status is only part of the story. His role within Steve Kerr’s system looms larger, especially as the Warriors seek to maximize one of the final championship windows for Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and offseason addition Jimmy Butler.

In ESPN’s annual Top 100 player rankings, Anthony Slater highlighted the tension between Kuminga’s growing ambitions and the team’s hesitations.

“Kuminga’s personal ambitions were emboldened by his playoff performance, but the Warriors remain concerned about his fit when the full core is healthy,” Slater reported.

That postseason run was the clearest glimpse yet of Kuminga’s ceiling. With Curry sidelined, he averaged 24.3 points on 55% shooting and nearly 39% from deep across the final four games of the Western Conference semifinals against Minnesota.

Kerr’s Caution and Comparisons

Despite the surge, Kerr has not been fully convinced.

“I’ve been asked to win,” Kerr said on The TK Show in May. “And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say, I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster we have — Steph, Jimmy and Draymond — and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”

Kerr has often urged Kuminga to embrace a role built on versatility and defense rather than isolation scoring. He cited former All-Star Shawn Marion and Denver’s Aaron Gordon as blueprints.

“With his athleticism, running the floor, putting pressure on the rim, offensive rebounds, getting into the dunker, guarding everybody at the other end — that’s what he’s really built for,” Kerr said.

Agent Pushes Back

Kuminga’s camp disagrees. His agent, Aaron Turner, countered that Kerr’s comparisons undersell his client’s shot-creation ability.

“I think those guys are a different type of players,” Turner told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dubs Talk podcast. “They’re more playing off, as we like to say, an advantage. But they’re not the advantage creators that JK is.”

Turner emphasized Kuminga’s growth, particularly in ball handling.

“I’ve never seen a player improve his ball handling in four years the way JK has,” Turner said. “He can get to anywhere he wants on the floor. He really can. And he can get to the rim whenever he wants.”

A Widening Rift

The disconnect between the Warriors’ vision and Kuminga’s desired role has fueled friction. ESPN’s Shams Charania and Slater previously reported that Kuminga feels the organization has stunted his growth, while Golden State views him as a valuable but flexible asset rather than a cornerstone.

The Warriors enter training camp with their championship core intact, but still with an incomplete roster because of the Kuminga contract standoff. Whether Kuminga becomes a long-term pillar or a trade chip could define the franchise’s trajectory.

For now, his future remains the biggest swing factor in Golden State.

Alder Almo is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo