Warriors and Kumingga renewal game: The power and future battle behind the deadlock

On September 3, the Warriors' contract renewal negotiations with restricted free agent Kumingga fell into a stalemate, like a war without gunpowder but undercurrent. The NBA training camp will be opened in four weeks, and the deadline for Kumingga to accept qualification quotations on October 1 is also approaching, but the huge differences between the two sides are still ahead.

At present, the most attractive thing in front of Kumingga is the one-year qualification offer worth $7.9 million. Although the Warriors gave a two-year contract of about $45 million, they set up "team options" the next year, while Kumingga and his team insisted on changing it to "player options". Behind this controversy is actually a fierce battle for future "control".

If Kumingga chooses a qualification offer, the Warriors will basically lose the possibility of trading him this season, which will seriously affect the construction of the team's lineup. If the Warriors want to break the deadlock, they either follow Kumingga's requirements and change the "team options" to "player options"; or increase the early salary and weaken the controversy about the "team options".

This offer is $21.75 million in the first year, but according to the NBA's "basic salary compensation rules", if Kumingga is traded, the "output salary" is only half. In the past four years, Kumingga and the Warriors have never reached a consensus on key issues such as player positioning, development potential and growth ceiling. The negotiation deadlock this year's offseason strengthened Kumingga's determination to control his own destiny. He longed for a comfortable environment and clear support no matter where he was.

The outside world does not understand Kumingga's insistence on "trading veto" and "player options", especially when the outside world speculates that he wants to leave the Warriors. In fact, Kumingga does not want to become a "chess piece" in the Warriors, and his role positioning in the new season is still unclear. He is likely to be unable to start, and he can't even rotate at critical moments.

Signing a qualification quotation is not without risks, and its broker also acknowledged this. But in comparison, the Warriors face greater risks. The Warriors' core lineup is aging. If Kuming signs a qualification offer, the team will lose the "best asset" to introduce big-name players on the trading deadline. Because other teams cannot renew their contracts in advance after the transaction, Kumingga's transaction value is almost zero. At the same time, the Warriors will also lose Kumingga's "bird rights". If he leaves the team after the end of the season, the team will gain nothing, and it may be due to controversy in qualification quotation, Kumingga becomes the focus of the media and interfere with the team's atmosphere. Noel's experience is typical of the potential risks of signing a qualification quotation. In 2017, the Mavericks offered Noel a 4-year $70 million contract. He refused to expect a maximum salary and ended up signing a $4.1 million qualification offer. He was injured that season and performed poorly. Next season, he could only join the Thunder with a veteran's basic salary. However, there is a difference between Kumingga and Noel. Noel missed a rookie season due to injury and missed many games before contract disputes. When he refused a $70 million contract, the data was not outstanding and he did not have the scoring ability of Kumingga. The gap between Kumingga and the Warriors' offer is not as huge as Noel, and he can reduce risks by purchasing insurance. The 2021 No. 7 show is confident in getting a high-paying contract in the future.

It is reported that the Kings and the Suns have provided Kuminga with a long-term contract with "player options", promising to start and position him as a future power forward, but they need to "sign first and then change". The Warriors management was not impressed and the deal failed.

Now, the four restricted free agents in the NBA have not completed the signing. The stalemate between the Warriors and Kumingga needs to be broken. Both sides are waiting for the other to compromise first. The direction of this stalemate will not only affect Kumingga's career, but will also have a profound impact on the Warriors' future development. The entire basketball world is waiting and seeing how this contract renewal game will end.