The problem with the Jonathan Kuminga contract saga is that in the end, the Golden State Warriors didn't really solve anything.
They gave him a two-year, $48.5 million contract to essentially push the problem down the road.
He still might be a trade candidate, or he still might eventually demand a longer-term deal.
But for now, the Warriors didn't figure anything out in totality.
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That's why Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley has termed the Kuminga drama as the Warriors' biggest offseason regret, because they didn't reach a real conclusion.
"The 23-year-old's future remains unsettled," Buckley writes. "And his role with the franchise spawns nightly debates. He started out strong, cooled off just as quickly and has since been sidelined by knee tendinitis. In between, he lost his starting spot and saw both a spike in turnovers and a slide in shooting accuracy. This consistent inconsistency can't be good for his trade value, which feels murky at best—especially if the general consensus is that Golden State is only holding onto him as long as it takes to become trade-eligible (which he will be on Jan. 15). This is an unnecessary distraction, and one the Dubs probably hoped they had put behind them during the summer saga."
Kuminga has real talent. There's a reason a team like the Sacramento Kings was at least looking around to see if they might be able to get him this offseason.
But there's also a reason that Kuminga wasn't more desirable as a restricted free agent. He hasn't proven a consistent impact on winning early in his career.
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The best thing for everyone involved, one way or the other, is if Kuminga starts to more consistently shine with Golden State. It would either increase his trade value or simply make the Warriors better.
In the meantime, it'll be a storyline that continues to hover over the Warriors' heads in a way that they surely don't need.
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