Execs Weigh In On Jonathan Kuminga’s Value

When forward Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors failed to come to terms on a rookie scale extension last fall, Anthony Slater – working for The Athletic at the time – wrote that “it’s possible Kuminga would’ve accepted a contract below max value, but the Warriors never upped their offer (somewhere near the $30ish million per year range) into an appealing enough ballpark.”

A maximum-salary contract for Kuminga would’ve been worth roughly $43MM per season on a four-year deal or nearly $45MM on a five-year deal. While it’s clear that the Warriors weren’t willing to pay that price, agent Aaron Turner tweeted this week that Kuminga also never received or turned down an offer worth even $30MM annually.

Appearing on The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) on Friday with new colleague Brian Windhorst, Slater – now employed by ESPN – essentially confirmed as much.

According to Slater, while the two sides had plenty of conversations about a new deal, the Warriors were hesitant to put a concrete offer on the table for Kuminga last fall because he would have been subject to the poison pill provision in 2024/25 if he had signed an extension and they wanted to keep their trade options open.

“I think Jalen Johnson getting five years, $150MM gave a target,” Slater said. “… I’m of the belief – and I’ve been told – that (Kuminga’s camp) would’ve taken five for $150MM if it was ever on the table. It wasn’t on the table.”

Nine months later, after an up-and-down season in which Kuminga was limited to 47 appearances and saw his numbers drop in several statistical categories, the consensus around the NBA is that the now-restricted-free-agent’s current value is well below $30MM per year.

Fred Katz of The Athletic polled 16 sources who work in rival front offices to ask them what they believe a “fair” contract for Kuminga would look like. Their answers, according to Katz, ranged from $17-25MM in average annual value, with Kuminga’s biggest fan in the group advocating for a five-year, $125MM deal.

The majority of the respondents, Katz writes, expressed that a three-year deal would make the most sense, with many of those rival staffers suggesting a third-year player option and a few of them likening Kuminga’s situation to that of Jalen Green in Houston. The former Rockets guard signed a three-year, $105MM rookie scale extension with a third-year player option last fall and was traded to Phoenix earlier this month just as that deal took effect.

“It feels like a Jalen Green-type deal that keeps him tradable,” one team official who suggested a three-year, $70MM contract told Katz. “Definitely less than he probably wants, but the player option gives him some options.”

“If I’m the agent, I’m trying to get a short-term deal so I can get out of there and get somewhere else but still make some money in the meantime,” another respondent said.

As Katz writes, it’s not out of the question that Kuminga would accept his $8MM qualifying offer, which would line him up to reach unrestricted free agency in 2026. But that would represent a risky path for both the 22-year-old and the Warriors, who could badly use a player earning a salary in the $15-25MM range for trade purposes. Currently, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green – who aren’t considered trade candidates – are the only Golden State players with cap hits exceeding $11.6MM in 2025/26.

“If he takes the qualifying offer, the Warriors are f—ed from a team-building standpoint, because they need to get him on a deal where they can trade him,” one executive said. “That’s the key for them.”

In case you missed it, we relayed several of the latest rumors on Kuminga’s restricted free agency in a pair of stories on Thursday.

Nets Notes: Demin, Summer League, Irving, Porter

There are mixed reviews about Nets lottery pick Egor Demin after he shot the ball better than expected during Summer League, but didn’t get to show off his play-making skills in a mostly off-the-ball role, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Following his first taste of competition against NBA-level players, the 19-year-old rookie’s takeaway is that he needs to get stronger.

“For me there was a lot of physicality these past couple of weeks, probably even more in the practices with my own teammates where the level of competitiveness is super high — probably even higher than in the games, because everybody wants to make each other better on the practices,” Demin said.

There were questions about Demin’s outside shot following his lone season at BYU, but he connected at 43.5% in Las Vegas on 7.7 attempts per game. However, he was barely used in the pick-and-roll and collected just four assists in Summer League along with nine turnovers. Lewis cites concerns about his lack of athleticism to separate from defenders and weaknesses with his dribble that allow smaller opponents to bother him.

Summer League coach Steve Hetzel also mentioned Demin’s issues with “physicality,” but expressed confidence that he’ll eventually overcome them.

 “As a 19-year-old, there’s still a lot of room for his body to just fill out and grow,” Hetzel said. “And you’re going to see a massive change from Year 1 to Year 2 in his strength and how he plays. He has such a good frame, he’s 6-foot-9. So there’s no worry. It’s just everybody has a level of patience for allowing him to grow.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

  • The Nets’ other first-round picks had flashes of success in Las Vegas, Lewis adds in a separate story. Nolan Traore displayed a strong first step and an ability to get by defenders, but he didn’t finish well at the rim. Ben Saraf showed a good understanding of the game and has the size to fit in at the wing, but he didn’t ease any of the concerns about his jumper. Danny Wolf got off to a rough start, but eventually showed off his passing skills and his ability to stretch defenses. Drake Powell, the team’s other first-round pick, didn’t participate in Summer League due to a knee injury.
  • Kyrie Irving shared his thoughts on the failed experiment in Brooklyn during a recent appearance on the Mind the Game podcast (Twitter link), Lewis relays in another piece. Irving said he regrets not doing more research on the Nets before signing with them in 2019. “I wish I would’ve handled the business better and got a chance to know them first, ask them questions, ‘Hey, what’s the future like?’ Instead of just committing blindly,” he said. “I didn’t have much power going in there. I couldn’t say who we could get and who we could not get. I couldn’t hire the coach. You guys knew my opinion on the head coach at the time.”
  • After being acquired in a trade with Denver, Michael Porter Jr. compiled a video blog of his first experiences with the Nets. It includes his impressions of the practice facility and a workout with team trainers.

Pacers Notes: Huff, Wiseman, Oladipo, Johnson, Haliburton

After losing longtime starting center Myles Turner to the division-rival Bucks, the Pacers will take a “by committee” approach to the position in 2025/26, general manager Chad Buchanan confirmed during an appearance on the Setting The Pace podcast (YouTube link).

The team re-signed Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman earlier this month and made a trade with Memphis to acquire Jay Huff. Veteran journeyman Tony Bradley is also in the mix, though his contract is fully non-guaranteed, so if Jackson and Wiseman are fully recovered from Achilles tears, there may not be room for him on the regular season roster.

Discussing the team’s deal for Huff, Buchanan pointed out that the big man had a huge game against the Pacers’ G League team in the playoffs a couple years ago and added that Indiana’s analytics department had its eye on the 27-year-old for a while.

“Watching him in Memphis this year when he got his opportunity, he really shined,” Buchanan said (hat tip to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star). “He had moments of running the floor, finishing lobs, shooting threes, protecting the rim. He’s not a perfect player by any means — he’s got areas that he needs to be better at and improve at. But we felt like what we were losing in Myles and what Jay provided at the age he was at, his basketball IQ, his feel of the game were really good fits for the way we play.”

Buchanan also spoke highly of Jackson and Wiseman, suggesting that Jackson’s skill set will give the Pacers’ lineup a different look and stating that the team remains just as bullish on Wiseman as it was when it first signed him a year ago.

“He’s in a great spot physically,” Buchanan said of the former No. 2 overall pick. “He still has to go through the hurdles of playing in a 5-on-5 game and things like that, but we’re very encouraged with where his recovery is going.”

Here’s more on the Pacers:

  • Buchanan confirmed on the Setting The Pace podcast that Indiana was among the teams that attended Victor Oladipo‘s workout in Las Vegas (YouTube link). However, he didn’t suggest that a reunion with the former Pacers All-Star is forthcoming . “Obviously, we have a history with Victor,” the Pacers’ GM said (hat tip to Dopirak). “We’re always going to be looking for, if it’s the right player at the right time that fits us, we’re going to have to consider it whether it’s Victor or not. Many teams watched along with us. We get tied to him because he’s a former player of ours. I don’t think we’re any different than any other team that watched him out there.”
  • Veteran forward James Johnson, who has been with the Pacers for parts of the last three seasons, hopes to continue his playing career, according to Buchanan, though it’s unclear whether Indiana will have room on its roster for him (YouTube link). “Tyrese (Haliburton)’s injury creates a butterfly effect with what we have to plan on and how the roster fits together,” Buchanan said (hat tip to Dopirak). “Right now, it could be challenging to find a spot for James, as much as we want him back.” The GM did acknowledge “that could change,” and it’s worth noting that Johnson didn’t start the 2023/24 season on the Pacers’ roster but was eventually added, first on a non-guaranteed contract, then on 10-day deals, then on a rest-of-season agreement.
  • Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link) this week, Haliburton said that he has been in touch with both Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant to discuss the recovery process from a torn Achilles. Souichi Terada of MassLive.com has the details

Cholet Basket Announces Knicks’ Diawara Headed To NBA

Mohamed Diawara, the forward selected last month with the 51st pick in the draft, is headed to the NBA, according to his former team. Cholet Basket published a social media post on Friday bidding farewell to Diawara and wishing him the best as he heads stateside (Twitter link).

While there are no details yet on what kind of contract Diawara will be signing, the update from Cholet Basket indicates that Diawara will be joining the Knicks, who acquired his NBA rights as part of a draft-night trade with the Clippers, rather than remaining overseas as a draft-and-stash player.

Most players drafted in Diawara’s range will sign two-way contracts, and that’s certainly an option for him. The Knicks don’t yet have any players locked into two-way deals and only have a single two-way qualifying offer on the table, for 2024 second-rounder Kevin McCullar. So no corresponding roster moves would be necessary to have Diawara fill one of those two-way openings.

However, the possibility of Diawara signing a standard deal shouldn’t be ruled out. The Knicks don’t have enough room below their second-apron hard cap to sign two minimum-salary veterans in order to get to the minimum 14 players on standard contracts for the regular season. So, barring a cost-cutting move, they’ll likely fill one of those roster openings with a second-round pick who can sign a rookie-minimum contract that won’t be subject to tax variance.

The Knicks have no shortage of former second-round picks whose draft rights they hold. Generally speaking though, the longer a player remains overseas, the less likely he is to ultimately sign an NBA contract. That makes a recent draftee like Diawara a better bet to fill that standard roster spot.

Appearing in 27 games for Cholet last season, Diawara averaged 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 19.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .383/.310/.488. While those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, he was also seeing his first regular action in France’s top basketball league (LNB Élite) at the age of 19 and has plenty of room to continue growing.

Diawara made four Summer League appearances for the Knicks in Las Vegas this month, averaging 7.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 22.3 minutes per game.

Fischer’s Latest: RFAs, Smart, Vucevic, Brogdon

In addition to sharing the latest updates on Nets guard Cam Thomas, NBA insider Jake Fischer checked in on the other three most notable remaining restricted free agents during his Bleacher Report live stream on Thursday, discussing Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Sixers guard Quentin Grimes.

Fischer stated that he doesn’t expect there to be resolution on either Giddey or Grimes this month (YouTube link) and expressed a belief that Grimes, Kuminga, and Thomas will eventually agree to short-term deals with their respective teams rather than long-term contracts (YouTube link).

While that leaves Giddey as the most likely player of the quartet to work out a longer-term agreement, Fischer added that he thinks Giddey’s dynamic with the Bulls is the “most strained” of the bunch right now, due to how the negotiations have played out so far (YouTube link).

Here’s more from Fischer:

  • Before Marcus Smart agreed to a buyout with Washington and signed with the Lakers, the Wizards had “a ton” of trade discussions about the former Defensive Player of the Year, per Fischer (YouTube link). The Bucks, Hawks, and Heat were among the teams that spoke to the Wizards about possible deals involving Smart, according to Fischer, who says that Washington and Miami talked at one point about a trade that would’ve included Terry Rozier.
  • Responding to a question about the possibility of the Bulls trading Nikola Vucevic, Fischer stressed that there isn’t much of a market for the veteran center (YouTube link). “I think at this juncture, we’re probably more likely to see a Nikola Vucevic buyout mid-season than we are to see a trade,” Fischer said. “Depending on how the market unfolds, depending on how injuries develop. There just really hasn’t been much of a Nikola Vucevic trade market in a while.”
  • Fischer views the Timberwolves as perhaps the most logical landing spot for free agent guard Malcolm Brogdon (YouTube link). Fischer acknowledges that that Minnesota wants to give youngsters Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. more opportunities to establish themselves as rotation players, but notes that the team could use another veteran option to complement Mike Conley, who will turn 38 in October. “I think Minnesota still stands as a really good situation for Malcolm Brogdon and one that he’s been monitoring, one that the Wolves have checked in on,” Fischer said. “I’m not making a prediction, but I think that’s a good situation for Malcolm Brogdon.”

Heat Sign Myron Gardner To Two-Way Deal

10:55 am: The Heat have officially signed Gardner, the team announced in a press release.


9:58 am: Free agent guard/forward Myron Gardner has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Heat, agent Jake Cohen tells NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). The deal will cover two seasons, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).

Gardner, 24, went undrafted out of Little Rock in 2023 and has spent his first two professional seasons playing for the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate. In 50 total appearances for Osceola last season, he averaged 10.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steal in 21.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .488/.353/.761.

Gardner impressed the Heat this month with his play at the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues. In four total outings, he put up 13.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 2.8 SPG on .500/.615/1.000 shooting, earning praise from Summer League head coach Eric Glass, who praised the way that Gardner “assaults the paint.”

“He’s so aggressive, he’s so strong going downhill,” Glass said, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

As our tracker shows, Gardner will fill the Heat’s second two-way slot, alongside big man Vladislav Goldin. The expectation is that guard Dru Smith will take the team’s third two-way contract sooner or later — Miami gave him a two-way qualifying offer last month.

Gardner will be eligible to appear in a maximum of 50 NBA regular season games in 2025/26 on his two-way deal, which will pay him $636,435.

Latest On Cam Thomas

Providing an update on Cam Thomas‘ restricted free agency on Thursday, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (YouTube link) said he expects Thomas to ultimately return to the Nets, since it doesn’t seem as if there are other “real” suitors pursuing the high-scoring guard.

Fischer also identified Thomas as the most likely of the top remaining RFAs to accept his qualifying offer, noting that the gap between the sort of contract he’s seeking and what Brooklyn has offered is pretty significant.

“I have not heard that Brooklyn has offered Cam Thomas anything further than a two-year deal with a team option on the second (year) that I don’t believe is going much north – if north at all – of the $14.1 million mid-level exception,” Fischer said. “… Cam Thomas thinks of himself as one of the most elite play-maker scorers in the NBA, and he wants to be compensated as such.

“… I definitely believes he wants north of $20 (million per year),” Fischer added.

Thomas has increased his scoring average in each of his four NBA seasons and put up career highs of 24.0 points and 3.8 assists per game in 2024/25. However, he was limited to just 25 games last season due to hamstring issues and has been up and down from an efficiency standpoint, with career averages of 43.9% from the floor and 34.9% on three-pointers. He’s also not considered an above-average defender.

Brooklyn previously reached two-year agreements with Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams that both include second-year team options, so the fact that the front office offered Thomas a deal with a similar structure makes sense. Despite taking on multiyear deals for Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann in trades this offseason, the Nets remain in position to carry over a significant chunk of cap room to the 2026 offseason.

The Nets may yet be willing to increase their offer for Thomas, but if the overall structure of their proposal doesn’t change and they continue to offer just one fully guaranteed year, he would have to decide whether accepting a qualifying offer worth roughly $6MM and sacrificing $8MM+ in 2025/26 earnings would be worthwhile in order to ensure he reaches unrestricted free agency next summer.

Accepting the qualifying offer would also give the 23-year-old the ability to veto trades during the ’25/26 season.

Thomas is one of four restricted free agents who received a standard (ie. not a two-way) qualifying offer in June and remains unsigned. The other three are Josh Giddey of the Bulls, Jonathan Kuminga of the Warriors, and Quentin Grimes of the Sixers.

Derek Fisher, Austin Rivers Among NBC’s New NBA Analysts

NBC Sports has added several former NBA players to its roster of game analysts for the upcoming 2025/26 season, announcing in a press release that it has hired Derek Fisher, Austin Rivers, Brad Daugherty, Robbie Hummel, and Brian Scalabrine.

The five new additions will join a group of game analysts that already includes Jamal Crawford, Reggie Miller, and Grant Hill, whose agreements with NBC have been previously reported.

NBC Sports also officially confirmed the hiring of play-by-play man Michael Grady, who will be one of the network’s play-by-play voices for its NBA coverage, along with Mike Tirico, Noah Eagle, and Terry Gannon.

Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter are among the other former NBA players who will work for NBC next season — they’ll both be studio analysts. Maria Taylor and Ahmed Fareed will serve as studio hosts, while Michael Jordan has also been named a special contributor.

NBC will broadcast up to 100 regular season games per season beginning in 2025/26, including up to five per week for part of the season. Additionally, the network will broadcast playoff games during the first two rounds and will air a conference final every other year, alternating with Amazon. NBC will also be the new home of the NBA’s All-Star weekend.

[RELATED: NBA Announces Details Of Media Deals With Disney, NBC, Amazon]

It’s the first time since 2002 that the network will air NBA games. NBC is reportedly paying approximately $2.5 billion per year for the next 11 seasons for NBA broadcasting rights.

Latest On Jonathan Kuminga

In a story for ESPN.com, Anthony Slater has provided more details regarding the stalemate between the Warriors and restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga.

According to Slater, the two sides did not discuss the financial terms of a new contract leading up to free agency, which led to Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, seeking sign-and-trades from rival teams. The Suns and Kings have shown the most external interest in Kuminga to this point, sources tell Slater, confirming reporting from his colleague Shams Charania.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 continues to hear the Suns are high on Kuminga and says they remain interested in trying to find ways to acquire him, despite having limited assets at their disposal (Twitter link). However, Golden State’s front office hasn’t been impressed with the offers from Phoenix or Sacramento, Slater writes.

In a potential Kuminga sign-and-trade, the Warriors don’t want to take on unfavorable contracts, “would like” to add a talented young player, and are determined to receive a first-rounder, per Slater’s sources.

As Slater details, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. was motivated to get a deal done this week and recently offered Kuminga what the the club believes is the “highest starting salary” he currently has on the table. But the 22-year-old wasn’t moved by the offer, as he told Charania, and seems much more interested in landing with another team.

Signing his $7.98MM qualifying offer, which is essentially just a one-year contract with an implied no-trade clause, is an option Kuminga is considering, sources tell Slater. Choosing that path would cost Kuminga money in the short term but would give him more control of his situation and an opportunity to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026, Slater notes.

Part of the reason that Kuminga is trying to find a new home is that he has a “painful memory” of being out of the Warriors’ rotation in their first-round playoff series vs. Houston, according to Slater. The former lottery pick desires a featured offensive role and wants to be a consistent starter, Slater adds.

A source tells Ashish Mathur of DallasHoopsJournal.com that Kuminga has “made it known behind the scenes” that he doesn’t want to continue his career in Golden State, partly because he doesn’t think he can become an All-Star with the Warriors. Kuminga publicly discussed his All-Star ambitions last month in an interview with Slater.

Ben Simmons To Decide On New Team By Next Week?

Ben Simmons, an unrestricted free agent, is “probably” going to sign with a new team by next week, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Threads (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive).

Windhorst mentioned the Kings, Suns, Knicks and Celtics as teams that have been linked to Simmons, confirming previous reporting from Jake Fischer and Marc Stein.

Simmons is a three-time All-Star who has made a pair of All-Defensive first teams and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2021, but he has battled back issues in recent years and has been a tricky fit in lineups that feature any other non-shooters. In 51 total appearances for the Nets and Clippers last season, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game.

In a subscriber-0nly story for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey takes a look at how Simmons’ career has been derailed, with back injuries the primary culprit. While he’s no longer the player he once was, the 29-year-old remains a talented and versatile defender, according to Pompey, who writes that Simmons is still worthy of an NBA roster spot.

Simmons seems likely to receive a minimum-salary contract from whichever team he picks, considering the former No. 1 overall pick has become a “situational role player,” as Pompey puts it.