What will the Warriors do with Jonathan Kuminga? | NBA Today

What will the Warriors do with Jonathan Kuminga? | NBA Today

mr Spears do you got any questions for me maybe closer to where I’m from
Yeah JK Jonathan Kaminga like what what’s going to happen with him um Ramon and I have been talking about it there There seems to be optimism in the Warriors camp that he will resign He will be a restricted free agent This market’s not great for him As one NBA GM told me he’s like what is he proven to be worth what his agent wants which is 25 plus million dollars
who has that money for him why does he deserve that but then on the flip side if he returns to the Warriors like what’s his role
and can he reach his full potential then
yeah And so I’m I’m if I’m Jonathan I’m in a really weird spot right now The the money’s not here this summer Maybe it’s next summer but either way there’s a lot of question marks
Well look I think the Warriors want him back The question is does he want to be back i know there are teams that like Jonathan Kaminga they just don’t have cap space So it has to be a signing trade And from what I understand the Warriors are not going to give him up where not for not assets that they don’t like in return They want to keep him unless they get something great back for him So he can go he can go and negotiate a deal with another team Chicago likes him Miami likes him You know let’s Sacramento Let’s see if the Phoenix Suns they they liked him a lot They almost they had him in the original construction fair Kevin Durant back in February
I like nice cars
But but do they have players that the Warriors would want to take back in a signing trade and from my understanding the Warriors are not they don’t like anything right now that’s being discussed
When you look at the Golden State Warriors and I I think about their their run against the Minnesota Timberwolves Jonathan Kaminga showed what he can be in those final couple of games without Steph Curry It’s about whether or not he’s going to be able to reach that full potential here We just got some news in from our senior insider Sham Shirana As we’ve been talking here uh Kavon Looney as we’re talking about the Golden State Warriors he’s agreed to a 2-year $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans Is reporting So it’s really an end of an era in the Bay right now He’s been so such a key piece of of this team of of many championships as well in the Bay
As odd as it might sound he may get his jersey retired one day
Yeah he could
He’s kind of the hard hat guy for the Warriors Done everything they asked him to do He’s he was the guy in the locker room You know where he’s going to hurt the most he’s been the biggest mentor Like people think about Steph and they think about Draymond as a mentor Nobody’s been a bigger mentor for the young guys in that roster than than
Well I think they’re also looking for another center and they’re in the discussions with Al for some other centers that are out there and and you know if if he’s got an offer like this he’s got to take that money
Yeah But 10 years with the Golden State Warriors that was a heck of a run So again Mars for his young guys Kavon Looney on his way to the New Orleans Pelicans While we’re talking about the Golden State Warriors and you’re asking the kinds of questions about what money they can afford to pay Jonathan Kaminga while still trying to maybe upgrade at center That sounds like a job for Mr Money Moves Bobby Marks make it work for us please sir
Well we’re going to look at two things right now We’re going to look at the center market right now This is a priority for Golden State Certainly the playoff loss against Minnesota Here’s a name to keep an eye on Former Celtics Al Horford Okay that would certainly fill some of the need that that Golden State needs at the center position Everyone was talking about Jonathan Kaminga We have him projected at a $20 million number right now The the problem with Jonathan Kaminga is there’s no salary cap space out there The trade the Michael Porter Jr Cam Johnson trade has eliminated most of the Nets cap space to go out and do an offer sheet on Jonathan Kaminga So he’s basically in a in a waiting game he can take a $7.9 million qualifying offer or a teamfriendly deal And I think that’s going to be the key for the Warriors offseason Certainly a signing trade potentially Also Brian had mentioned I heard him over there when he was acting about Cam Johnson That Cam Johnson Michael Porter Jr trade that unlocks the non-tax mid-level exception 14.1 million for the Denver Nuggets to go out and use
So we say hello to our reporter Om Young Massuk who spent a lot of time with Golden State last season Do the Warriors believe as we’re talking about potentially someone like Al Horford they are a a piece away here from being able to maximize and go for one more championship with Steph Curry with Kavon Looney gone now it all signs look like it points to Al Horford Uh league sources have been saying that seems like the Warriors and Horford seem like the perfect fit and locked in And when I would have discussions with Steve Curry along the season he would talk about how the Warriors can play two different ways now They play their motion offense with Steph Curry but with the addition of Jimmy Butler they can go ISO Jimmy and still Al Horford would fit that perfectly because one they’ve already said they don’t want to play Draymond Green at center the entire season They just can’t afford to do that Uh they could do it in spurts like in the playoff runs and how they made that run at the end of the season but they need Al Horford He can come in he can stretch the floor at a stretch five He can pass in that motion offense Uh he can set screens for them and defensively he still has something left in the tank So he would be a good fit after that That’s where it gets interesting Malikica because I think they have to wait on Jonathan Kaminga to see if there’s a sign and trade out there perhaps with a Miami or with a Chicago as Ramona mentioned Uh in those cases though what what really is going to come in that those packages is it Duncan Robinson is it Haimey Hakez it’s going to have to be more than that And on the Chicago end would it be Nicola Vousvich a guy that they were linked to last year before the trade deadline but they would need more than Vousvich as well And that’s why if they bring back Kaminga then Steve Kerr has said “We’re going to spend the early portion of the season trying to see if he can fit in with Steph with Jimmy and Draymond.” Something that I think Golden State already knows is not really a great fit And then after that maybe they can trade him
or they can just chill and see what happens with Jiannis Tennako because that is a big or if you know I I think the Warriors like their team Are they going to beat the the the Thunder with this roster probably not But I think they like their team They can they can you know maybe make a move on the on the on the periphery They have access to a lot of their future draft picks It may be worth it for them to sit there and wait for the possibility of a big transaction They sat there and they were patient last year They ended up with Jimmy Butler It’s possible that they could get Kuminga into a contract that they could still intend to trade down the line whether it’s for a player like Giannis or somebody else And that would be the best thing that could happen to Jonathan Kaminga I I just think he’s at a point if he’s still auditioning for the Golden State Warriors about fit and minutes and how I’m sorry that something’s something there that he needs a new set of eyes on him And I think Jonathan Kaminga is a guy that gives them this athletic ability They desperately need They don’t have a lot of athletes on this roster But it’s obvious with what happened to him at the end of the year Four DNPs in the Houston series Finally they go to him when Curry gets up in the Minnesota series the guy averages 24 points a game over those last four games or 56% from the field against the top shelf defense So he he let people know this is kind of what I’m capable of But I just think he’s he’s there and there’s a cynicism around him with the organization that’s going to be difficult for him to break through
I agree with you a thousand% as a player when you’re in an organization you want to feel wanted You want to know that the the organization wants you They want you on the floor They believe in you That’s a situation that’s been kind of tricky for Jonathan Kaminga I look on the defensive end of that and I say I love Al offensively I know he’ll come in he’ll pick up right where he needs to He’s a veteran He has basketball intelligence But on the defensive end is he a rim protector is he going to be a guy that’s going to get a stop down there protect the rim bang with those big guys i look at that situation is almost similar to having Draymond down there I love Al offensively but defensively I think you need a little more size down there to take that banging and protect the rim
This has always been the question for the Golden State Warriors Who is their big man has always been something in addition to Draymond Green that we have been sort of asking even over their dynastic championship run [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

I’m joined by our loaded cast on the NBA Today Free Agency Special to detail the Golden State Warriors’ plans for the offseason, including if they’ll retain Jonathan Kuminga. We also react to Kevon Looney leaving for the New Orleans Pelicans and debate if Al Horford will be a good fit on Steve Kerr’s lineup.