Why The Bulls Pursuing Jonathan Kuminga Concerns Me

Why The Bulls Pursuing Jonathan Kuminga Concerns Me

So, we’re in sort of this strange period right now in the NBA when it comes to players under restrictive free agency because all of the current restrictive free agents this summer, players like Josh Giddy, Jonathan Kaminga, Quinton Grimes, all remain unsigned at the time of this recording. And a big reason they remained unsigned is because the current teams that they play for hold all the power right now. And that cap space around the league has dried up. So, even if any of these guys wanted to go out and get offer sheets from other teams around the NBA, they wouldn’t be able to do so because said teams would not have the money to make them an offer. The only way they could potentially make this happen is by way of a signing trade where all parties would work out a new contract for the player. Their current team would sign them to a new deal and subsequently trade them to the team that has agreed to sign them to that new deal. But again, the current team they play for in this scenario still holds all the cards. They control where the player goes and have the leverage in what they want in return in any sign and trade deal. So, as of right now, all of these teams that have restricted free agents on their roster, even if they want to resign them, are taking their time assessing the options and seeing how this plays out because they are in no danger of losing their free agent or having their guy go out and getting an offer that is too rich for them to match. Now, I bring all this up not to discuss how this impacts Josh Giddy and how it impacts his restricted free agency because we’ve talked about that at length. And at the end of the day, I do fully expect the Bulls to resign Giddy. It’s just a matter for how much and how long. But instead, I wanted to talk about another marquee restrictive free agent this off seasonason that has been linked and rumored to be on the Bulls radar, as well as a host of other teams. A player that was drafted in the lottery right after Josh Giddy, and that’s the Golden State Warriors, Jonathan Kaminga. Another player who is expecting a big payday, but still remains unsigned while the Warriors continue to hold out and weigh all of their options on the table. Now, here’s the thing. To me, I’ve always been unsure about the Bulls pursuing Jonathan Kaminga. Like, if you remember, he was discussed in rumors as a potential trade candidate for the Bulls dating all the way back to the previous season, the 2324 season, where there was some growing frustration between Kaminga and his role on the team with the Warriors. And while I think Kaminga is a fine player, a very gifted athlete, a young player that yes, I do think has still some upside, especially in the right role and the right development. And yes, we always like to say he absolutely fits the mold of AK’s current desired player, young players with experience, athletic wings who like to play fast. But at the same time, there are also a lot of things to be concerned about bringing in Kaminga and signing him to a long-term deal. Because while Kaminga is one of the better athletes in the NBA and knows how to put the ball in the hoop, he’s also not the most efficient player on offense. Last season, he shot 45% from the field, 30% from three, and is also not a good free throw shooter at 69% for his career. His shot selection and decision-making overall is not great, which is a big reason why Steve Kerr benched him and barely had him play in the playoffs until he was forced to do so due to injuries from the Warriors. His true shooting percentage is below league average. His onoff court numbers aren’t great and illustrate that the Warriors were actually a better team when he was on the bench and he’s also not that great of a defender. Despite his size and athleticism, he’s not a great rebounder either and he’s limited in what he can do when it comes to playmaking on the court. long-winded way of saying there are a lot of flaws to his game and something any team should be wary of when signing him to a long-term deal, especially when it’s been reported that Kaminga is seeking something in the range of $30 million per year. Now, when I see Bulls fans talking about how they want this guy and the Bulls should be doing everything they can to add a player with his skill set, the question I always have is, well, what’s the endgame here? Because while I recognize there could be value in adding Kaminga, I recognize there is some upside there. If you sign Kaminga to a long-term large deal and you also sign Josh Giddy and you extend Kobe White next summer, you’re essentially committing to this core on your payroll for quite some time. And is that the move? Like is that going to position this franchise for title contention for the long term? And if the answer is no, then is it really worth it? The other thing you have to consider here is that by bringing in a player like Kaminga and paying him north of $25 million annually, even if it’s less than that, say the Bulls have him on a more teamfriendly deal around $20 million per year, his playing time is going to be prioritized. He would start because you’re not paying him all that money to come off the bench. And if you’re doing that, what does that mean for the minutes and development of guys like Mus Pelis and Noah Asen? I mean, I don’t expect Asen to be getting heavy minutes, especially to start the season because he’s only 18 years old and it’s going to take him some time to adapt to the pace and physicality of the NBA. But if you bring in Kaminga, I don’t even know that Asen is going to have a place in the rotation with all the other guys on the roster. So whether you like Kaminga or not, that also has to be considered when you’re talking about impeding the development of two players who I would argue have more upside than Kaminga does. Now, sure, there’s a possibility that Kaminga simply just needs a new environment, a new team that is going to prioritize his development, something he just is not getting with the Warriors. And perhaps he just hasn’t been the right fit for that team because they’re trying to win a championship with Steph. And because he has the talent, the tools, sure, maybe on a new team, he could somehow break out into a star. And because there is that outside possibility, then yeah, sure, you could say that it’s worth the risk by taking a chance on him and giving him a big contract. My thinking is that the possibility where Kaminga becomes a star, whether it’s on the Bulls or another team, is very small. I just don’t see that from this kid. The other thing that gives me pause in all of this is that it was recently reported, I believe it was Brett Seagull, who reported this, as well as some of the other beat writers around the Kings organization, but it’s that the Sacramento Kings have made it known that they really want Kaminga and are even going as far as to include Devin Carter, Dario Sarge, and Draft Capital in a signing trade to get him on their team. And no disrespect, but when I see a team like the Kings who thought it was a good idea to put Zack Lavine and Demard Rosen back together as if they didn’t see anything that happened on the Bulls roster for three years, a team that has made countless bad decisions, bad assessments of young talent, passing on Luca, trading Hallebertton, trading Darren Fox. I know some of those decisions were from previous front offices, but it was still under the same ownership. If that team is going hard after Jonathan Kaminga, then maybe the Bulls should reconsider their thinking here and steer clear. The Kings aren’t exactly the embodiment of success. Not that the Bulls are either, but if the Kings are really wanting to do something, it’s probably best to be doing the opposite. Now, does that mean I’ll be mad if the Bulls bring in Kamingo on a very team-friendly deal? Say they somehow get him for like 16 or $18 million a year. I don’t think Kamingo would go for that. But if the Bulls somehow pull off a contract like that, okay, maybe it’s worth taking a chance on this kid. But if the Bulls overpay, not only in the form of his new contract, but also overpaying him in the form of what they would have to execute in a signing trade. Since the only way they can pay Kaminga that kind of money is if they do a signing trade, like if they trade Kobe White or even some draft picks to get him to the Bulls and you’re giving him 25 million plus dollars a year, yeah, I may have to crash out on this team and shut this whole channel down. I don’t see that happening because it does appear for the moment like the Bulls are finally learning from their mistakes and taking their time with this and not over buying on players that aren’t going to take them to the next level. But if they do go down that route, then yeah, I may just be done with this team. So hopefully that doesn’t happen. But anyway, we’ll see how this all goes. In the meantime, guys, hope you all enjoy your Fourth of July weekend. Stay safe out there. Be sure to subscribe and I’ll see you in the next

Discussing the Bulls potential pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga

NBA Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCikoP0pxZTRqNp9XgMJlIqQ

Sign up for Underdog Fantasy with Promo Code [Bulls Central] to get a Special Pick in the lobby AND up to $250 in Bonus Cash on your first deposit: https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-bu…

Discord: https://discord.gg/NCnTQFZkkj
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bulls.central.official/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BullsCentralYT

#ChicagoBulls #BullsNation #jonathankuminga #goldenstatewarriors #joshgiddey #nbadraft2025 #nbadraft #cobywhite #nikolavucevic #matasbuzelis #NikolaVucevic #LonzoBall #CobyWhite #MatasBuzelis #PatrickWilliams #NikolaVucevic #AyoDosunmu #JoshGiddey #BullsNews #NBANews #NBARumors #BullsUpdates #BullsRumors #NBAFreeAgency #BullsTrades #NBATrades #NBATradeRumors