That limits the Warriors to taking back a package worth, in terms of salary, half of what Kuminga gets paid as a result of the sign-and-trade deal. There are some instances in which that could work–if the Bulls sent back Coby White, for example, who makes $12.9 million, while signing Kuminga for $25.8 million.
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) looks on against the Indiana Pacers in the third quarter at Chase Center.
Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
But ideally, the Warriors would be able to get back $25.8 million in assets if Kuminga is a $25.8 million player. And there’s one way they can do that.
“Just sign him and wait, that’s the logical way to do this,” one Western Conference excutive said. “It’s unorthodox but, you pay Kuminga, you play him, you see if it works. It probably won’t, but in that case you just trade him at the deadline. And if you gave him $25 million per year, you get $25 million in players back.”
The negatives are obvious–Kuminga could struggle, again, to fit what the Warriors want from him, and the potential for a trade would cloud Kuminga’s status and, presumably, the team’s chemistry.
But in the end, the Warriors would get fair value for him. It’s an unusual path, but it ensures that Kuminga brings value to Golden State.