Analyst Rips Kuminga's Agent for Turning Down Warriors' Offer

Analyst's rant includes other criticisms of Aaron Turner

Jonathan Kuminga and Jaylon Tyson | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perhaps money isn't everything for Jonathan Kuminga. But if it's important to him at all, it's hard to understand how he's satisfied with his agent.

Kuminga recently signed a two-year, $12.4 million contract (player option in the second season) with the Timberwolves after it became clear his free-agent options were dwindling.

A year ago, Kuminga turned down a three-year, $75.2 million contract offer from the Warriors with a team option in the third year. He eventually settled for a two-year contract worth up to $48.5 million with a team option in the second year.

He would have been making about $25 million this season if he agreed to the Warriors' initial contract offer.

Analyst Rips Kuminga's Agent

The Athletic's Sam Vecenie said on the Game Theory podcast that Kuminga's agent Aaron Turner has handled the last year of Kuminga's contracts in a baffling way.

He used Turner's own words against him.

"Because fumbling would mean like next year, if JK is making $10 million a year, you could say I fumbled by not taking [three years for $75 million]," Turner told the SF Standard's Tim Kawakami a year ago. "You can’t say I fumbled because I didn’t fumble anything yet." 

Kuminga is making $6.1 million this season.

Vecenie went on to say that most agents don't make press tours and that Turner would have been better off not commenting publicly about the contract Kuminga signed and his future earning potential.

Turner recently said that the Kings and Bulls have historically been interested in Kuminga, and they should have cap space next year.

Vecenie believes it was a misstep to talk about where he could end up next year, presumably because it could create the perception that his client isn't fully committed to the team that he just signed with.

But Vecenie also added that the Bulls had cap space this offseason and chose to pass on giving it to Kuminga.

Warriors Caught a Break from Turner

As I argued here, the Warriors caught a break that Turner and Kuminga turned down that three-year, $75.2 million offer.

If he'd signed that, he would have been harder to trade at the 2026 trade deadline. It's possible that he'd still be a Warrior and that his trade demands would be a cloud over the organization.

At least now the Warriors are past that distraction after trading Kuminga for Kristaps Porzingis.

I wouldn't say getting Porzingis was a home run trade, but it beats the worst-case scenario of needing to attach draft capital to trade Kuminga.