The Golden State Warriors have been largely consumed by the contract stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, with some teammates now chiming in on their feelings about the situation.
In an interview with 95.7 The Game’s ‘Willard and Dibs’, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski defended Kuminga from all the noise that has circulated regarding the contract dispute.
“Obviously, everybody on our team knows it’s the media’s job to try to nitpick and find things to write and talk about and separate teammates so they have a story to write,” Podziemski said. “Like, we all know that’s how it works; especially the guys who have been around it for 10 to 15 years, they know how it works. Everybody in the locker room knows no matter how that situation’s resolved, it doesn’t change our viewpoint of JK as a person [and] as a player. Obviously, we all want him to be in Golden State; that’s the whole point. But it doesn’t change anything.”
Warriors haven’t budged on Kuminga’s asking price
Kuminga and the Warriors have been at odds dating back to last season. He averaged 15.3 points per game in 47 appearances (10 starts). Kuminga saw his role diminish as the season progressed, and along with injuries he saw his season essentially be wasted. As a result, Kuminga has been asking for a hefty price tag as a restricted free agent, to which the Warriors haven’t budged so far.
The hope in Golden State is that the two sides will come to a resolution soon, even if it means being traded elsewhere after signing a new deal.