SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors are confident that Jonathan Kuminga will come into camp focused and ready to work after finally agreeing to terms on a two-year deal worth $48.5 million.
After a summer of public negotiations and headaches behind the scenes that left the 22-year-old’s status up in the air for months, the organization is also buoyed by the belief that Kuminga’s cloudy long-term future with the team will not be a distraction for the rest of the group as they embark on what they hope will be another championship season. That’s because coach Steve Kerr is confident that the culture the Warriors have built is strong enough to keep any potential distraction Kuminga’s situation provides in order.
“We got a good team,” Kerr said after Wednesday’s practice. We got powerful leadership in the locker room, “I’ve known JK for four years now. He’s not that guy to come in and tear a team down. We’ve got a ton of depth on this team. We’ve got a lot of people who can play. Got a lot of guys ready to step in.”
The Warriors have prided themselves on the culture that’s been created in and around star guard Stephen Curry for years. They’ve always tried to bring in players who try to not only fit around him on the floor, but have the kind of personality that will fit into the locker room as well. Kerr, understandably, sings Curry’s praises at every turn because he appreciates how his best player’s personality sets a tone for the rest of his teammates to follow. But Kerr also mentioned two other veterans as reasons why he has no concerns that Kuminga’s summer soap opera will linger into the regular season.
“Jimmy [Butler] instantly changed our team last year,” Kerr said. “Jimmy is an alpha. Steph and Draymond are alphas. They run that locker room. I’m not worried about anything.”
That was a prevailing theme within Chase Center on Wednesday, now that all the drama surrounding Kuminga’s summer was in the rear view window for the time being. In his first public comments of the season, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said he is optimistic that the Warriors have a “great shot” this year and is pleased the Kuminga deal is done.
“I’m all good with it,” Dunleavy said. “I feel good about the deal we’ve done and really the deal for JK. I think it’s good for both sides.”
Kerr said he reached out to Kuminga “quite a bit” over the summer, like he does with the rest of his players, and noted the key in the short term will be to speak with the young forward when he arrives at camp.
“The first thing is a great conversation with JK,” Kerr said. “At the heart of any good team culture is communication. We have to have a really good sit-down. And he and I have always gotten along well. There’s never been any issues on a personal front for us. It’s just about fit, and it’s just about what we need, and it’s about how he sees himself, how we see him. So that means we have to have a really good conversation before we start the season. For sure, in the next couple of days, to make sure we all get on the same page.”
One of the prevailing storylines in the Kuminga saga both last year and over the summer was Kerr and Kuminga’s relationship. Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, repeatedly mentioned Kerr by name in discussing the fit he was hoping his client would have with the Warriors, or a different team, depending on how negotiations went and the role Kuminga would have moving forward. For his part, Kerr sounded optimistic that the pair could make it all work as the Warriors decide whether Kuminga can help them win each night, or whether he is best served playing on a different team, in a different role.
“The whole idea is to help him get better,” Kerr said. “Help him become the player that he can become. And sign a few more of those contracts. And that’s what he has to focus on, and that’s what I have to focus on, the getting better part, where he can help us, because that’s really been kind of the thing that’s held him back, right? It’s what we need versus what he wants to do. And there’s no denying that that’s been an issue. And there’s no denying that there’s a place for him on this team. We don’t have that big, athletic wing player like he represents, but the fact is, we’re going to run our offense through Steph and Jimmy, for obvious reasons. They’re two of the best players in the league. They create stuff for other players. So JK, the more he can defend with activity, rebound, run the floor, then the better chance he has to play.”
Kerr also acknowledged that there will be times during the year when Kuminga will play a much bigger role, especially on nights when Curry, Green and Butler aren’t playing.
“Everybody progresses at a different rate,” Kerr said. “Things can click, but those are the things I’m going to continue to ask of him. And I have no doubt, too, that there’s going to be times this year where we’ve got to get him the ball and run the offense through him. We got an older team. There’s going to be games where Steph is out, Jimmy’s out, maybe both of them are out. So we’re going to ask JK to do what we ask every player to do, and that’s commit to whatever it takes to win the game. That’s the idea.
Dunleavy knows there’s been speculation about Kuminga being a potential trade piece heading into February’s trade deadline, but he is comfortable with where the roster stands and brushed off the notion that Kuminga’s contract structure was set him up to be moved down the line.
“We feel like we have a player that can be really good, and I don’t feel like there’s a need to make a move,” Dunleavy said. “Now, we’ll see how the season unfolds. This time last year, I would have said we need to get better. I don’t feel that right now. It could change. We have a lot of guys in the team that have value around the league and could be traded, but I think the structure is more so what works for us and the player, and we came to an agreement that works.”
Kuminga is expected to practice for the first time since his new deal on Thursday. As for his long-term future with the Warriors, when asked whether Kuminga or Turner relayed to him that he wanted to stay with the Warriors, Dunleavy deflected that question to the young player they hope will continue to improve and develop this year.
“I’ll let him answer that,” Dunleavy said. “Again, these discussions and messaging from our end stays private, so as far as, those things that we talk about on the phone or behind closed doors, I keep to myself. So it may be a better question for him. But by all accounts, I think he wants to be here because he signed the contract.”
Speaking of signed contracts, veteran forward Al Horford was happy to finally get his deal done, noting how hard it was for him to leave the Boston Celtics.
“It was very difficult,” Horford said. “Boston became a second home for me. And being part of that community and being part of that city was something very special for me and my family. So it wasn’t an easy decision for me to make.”
Swingman De’Anthony Melton also made his deal official as he continues to recover from an ACL injury in his left knee. Kerr noted that Melton wasn’t ready to join practice yet and would do individual work. Kerr was hopeful that Melton would be ready to play “somewhat early in the season,” but it won’t be anytime soon. The Warriors say he will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
(Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty Images)
