Forget the money, Golden State Warriors made another ‘too low’ mistake with Jonathan Kuminga, says Zach Lowe

However, Kuminga’s camp reportedly won’t agree to a team option unless the annual figure is closer to $30 million. They would be willing to go as low as $20 million annually, if they get a player option in the final year of the deal.

The Warriors have since been unwilling to part ways with Kuminga in sign-and-trade offers from the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.

Zach Lowe says ‘the tolerance for mistakes by the coaching staff was really really low’ for Jonathan Kuminga

Not only have the Warriors not been willing to give Kuminga the type of deal that he wants, but they have also been strict during his development process.

Zach Lowe was on The Zach Lowe Show and he talked about how Kuminga walked into a tricky situation when joining the Warriors back in 2021.

“Jonathan Kuminga walked into a very tricky situation for a rookie. Veteran team, win now team, finesse team, they need somebody like him, a powerhouse, a leaper, go get us baskets at the rim, get us free throws, create buckets out of nothing as a one-on-one scorer. But you’ve also got to do that within the beautiful game system that we play, he said.

“And I think Jonathan Kuminga sometimes bristled against that and went his own way and took some regrettable shots.

“I also think he made sort of an underrated effort to fit in.

“He tried to learn the pin screens for Steph Curry. Pitch it back. Screen here. Pass to Draymond. Get the offense moving that way. Pass to Steph. Go screen for him.

“He tried to learn all that stuff. He wasn’t playing selfishly. He was trying his best and sometimes it looked great and sometimes it didn’t.

“I just think the tolerance for mistakes by the coaching staff was really really low for him as a young player on that team and I honestly think too low.

“I think there should have been more freedom for him to play through mistakes, for him to play through bad shot selection, play through all the stuff that young players who are trying to prove.”

Jonathan Kuminga has untapped potential that the Golden State Warriors are hindering

Last season with the Warriors, Kuminga averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from downtown. However, he was limited to just 47 games because of injuries and lineup decisions from head coach Steve Kerr, which saw him average only 24.3 minutes per contest.

Ultimately, Kuminga’s All-Star potential hinges on consistent minutes and getting a larger role on offense. This was on full display in the playoffs. Kuminga was limited in the first round against the Houston Rockets, but then he stepped into a bigger role against the Minnesota Timberwolves when Stephen Curry went down with a hamstring injury.

His breakout performance was in Game 3 of that series, where Kuminga played 36 minutes and scored 30 points. That stretch proved that Kuminga can contribute at a high level if given a fair opportunity.

Warriors general manager Joe Lacob drafted Kuminga over Franz Wagner, which confirms that Golden State was high on him from the beginning.

Now the Warriors must decide if they want to pay and develop Kuminga or part ways with the 22-year-old and go all-in on another championship run.