Thanasis Antetokounmpo became the latest player taken off the free agency market on Sunday, with his return to the Milwaukee Bucks leaving the Golden State Warriors with an obvious next move in regard to Jonathan Kuminga.
Thanasis’ return signals that his younger brother and superstar forward Giannis will remain with the Bucks to start the season, something that should actually come as a positive to the Warriors given their lack of flexibility and roster clarity would have made it difficult to trade for the 2x MVP had he become available.
Things might be a little more flexible for the Warriors if Antetokounmpo reconsiders his future mid-season or in 12 months time, but only if they secure Kuminga to a contract that would require them to soften their stance in current free agency negotiations.
Warriors must guarantee second year in offer to Jonathan Kuminga
Right now Golden State haven’t been willing to go beyond a two-year, $45 million offer to Kuminga that includes a second-year team option. Now, let’s consider for a second that trading for Antetokounmpo is still the absolute dream, and that the very obvious uncertainty that existed in Milwaukee this offseason is enough proof that it could still rise into reality at some point.
If that were to happen mid-season, the Warriors will want the Bucks to view Kuminga as an asset rather than the idea of expiring salary. Therefore what is the harm in guaranteeing that second season if it means the young forward accepts the contract? Milwaukee almost certainly wouldn’t let Kuminga walk as a free agent next season if he was part of an Antetokounmpo trade.
There’s also an argument to be made that Golden State should bump up their offer to Kuminga by a few million if they hope to land Antetokounmpo or any other player making $50 million or more next season.
The current $22.5 million per year offer that’s been presented is still over $30 million shy of Antetokounmpo’s contract for next season, meaning the Warriors would likely have to include veteran forward Draymond Green along with Brandin Podziemski and all their future picks to even get in the conversation.
If Kuminga’s contract goes a little higher, obviously that’s less money elsewhere that Golden State would need to find to match salaries. Of course it’s about finding a balance and threading the needle because you don’t want to go too high where Kuminga’s value suddenly drops significantly because he’s viewed as being on a bad contract.
It’s all hypothetical anyway given Antetokounmpo has seemingly recommitted his future to the Bucks for the moment, but don’t think for a second that the Warriors will stop monitoring the situation in Milwaukee and prepare themselves accordingly for anything that may happen.
