“Everybody’s got their time when God opens their doors. My door isn’t open yet”. While Jonathan Kuminga’s remarks showed that he wasn’t too bothered by the disappointing news regarding his contract. It still didn’t stop the rest of the NBA world from discussing it. It was barely a few months ago when the Golden State Warriors were unable to work out an extension deal with Klay Thompson, thereby bringing a 13-year-long journey to an end. Now, the same issue has arisen with Kuminga, as he enters his fourth season and the final year of his rookie contract. While the player reportedly desires a max contract, ‘The Athletic’ reporter Anthony Slater made it known that the Warriors aren’t “currently prepared” to do the same. As a result, Kuminga is now being motivated by a former player to simply jump ship!

In the recent livestream of the ‘Gil’s Arena’ show from the day before yesterday, the crew discussed Jonathan Kuminga’s performance and reports of him seeking a $224 million contract extension. Gilbert Arenas, humorously sitting on the couch with a gag over his mouth, could not speak. So the mic went to Rashad McCants. He claimed to not have the liberty to judge whether a person ‘deserves’ the max extension. However, McCants said with confidence that Kuminga worked hard for it. Therefore, if the young player isn’t getting his desired respect with the Warriors, McCants suggested something different. “I think he should try to get paid somewhere else. I don’t think that this is the place he wants to double down on.”

Referencing Klay Thompson’s exit, he further added “Their loyalty, when you talk about that lineage that they created, that we all wanted to see ride out to the sunset, they chopped that sh*t apart. And if they’ll chop that sh*t apart, they’ll chop your sh*t apart. So, you might as well be thinking they do this sh*t to Klay, what they going to do to me?”

Klay Thompson’s exit had quite a few reasons attached to it. Each of them reportedly made the player feel that he wasn’t respected enough. The first one came when the shooting guard’s role was diminished in favor of then-rookie Brandin Podziemski. The veteran saw bench more often than before. The situation became so noticeable that even the player’s longtime rival, CJ McCollum, called the Warriors out on the same. Secondly, the franchise was reportedly prepared to offer Thompson a 2-year, $48 million extension back in April. However, he refused it as he wanted a longer-term contract. After all, it was just last year that Draymond Green, who had spent one less year with the Warriors than him, signed a 4-year extension. Now, with Thompson joining the Dallas Mavericks on a 3-year deal, he likely hopes to earn the respect he reportedly felt was lacking before.

The situation with Kuminga’s contract comes just as Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley received five-year extensions on their rookie contracts. Both players were members of the 2021 NBA Draft class, the same as Kuminga. The Warriors were unsuccessful in even making it to the play-in series during the recent season. The 21-year-old shouldn’t face the blame for that. After all, while he appeared in 74 regular season games, he started in 46 of them. He secured an average of 17.2 points and 5.2 rebounds. In the other 28 games as a reserve, he averaged 14.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. From starter to sixth man position, the power forward’s performance has demonstrated his ability to adapt to different roles in high-pressure situations.

Unfortunately, even if the Warriors value the star athlete, spending $224 million on him over five years has put them in a difficult situation. Therefore, if he’s not looking to exit the franchise, then the only other option for Kuminga is to double down and put a more compelling argument. The upcoming season provides the perfect opportunity to do so.

“Golden State is bluffing” – Gilbert Arenas claims Jonathan Kuminga’s upcoming performance will determine his extension

When the gag was off, Gilbert Arenas shared his thoughts on the contract dilemma. By that time, the crew talked about the report by NBA insider Brett Siegel. The report claimed that Kuminga could likely get a five-year deal worth $140-$155 million. Arenas noted that the Warriors made the offer so Kuminga immediately took it. Thereby, the franchise would save a lot of money. As a result, the former player indicated that Kuminga should take some risk, and not choose the easy route.

“Golden State is bluffing. It’s a bluff, right? Since he’s restricted, it’s basically on him. Think about it. You go out there and average 20 and 10, ‘I’d give it to him, I don’t give a f**k’” said Arenas. “If you don’t, 150 gain (then).” By this logic, it won’t make a difference if Kuminga takes the proposed amount now or after a season in which he performed badly. However, if he comes out of the season as an exceptional scorer again, then he may just receive his desired ask.

The Golden State Warriors have until October 31 to present their player with an extension. However, the franchise may not want to delay things until the middle of the pre-season. Hence, it’s likely that fans may get an update earlier than anticipated.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.