This year’s restricted free agency has been unforgiving to the players in it, to say the least– talented players such as Josh Giddey, who had a fantastic season, have found it difficult to force out a decent offer from their teams. However, the biggest player stuck in this chaos has been Jonathan Kuminga. The 22-year-old Golden State Warriors forward has been involved in a standoff with his franchise for the entirety of the season. Now, after months of speculation, his agent has come forward to clear the air around his client’s unusual situation.

While many believe that JK has and his camp have rejected the three-year $75 million deal, which had the third year as a team option, that’s not the truth. While speaking on The Hoop Collective Podcast, Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, clarified his stance on the team option as he suggested that they are ready to meet the Warriors’ offer only if the franchise agrees to change the team option to a player option instead; otherwise, they would have to pay a price for it.

“You know, I pitched the player option deal, right, to give him flexibility. We haven’t said no to a team option,” Turner said. “Our theory and feeling is, though, if you want a team option and you want to get rid of his no-trade clause, which the QO inherently has, okay, that’s a different price. You’ve got to pay for that. Okay, you got to you got to put more on top if you want both.” Turner went on to explain how a played option would allow his client to have a level of freedom to make his next move.

However, the Warriors have been reluctant to offer that, as they don’t want to take any risks on their end. This has left Kuminga and his agent no choice but to view the $7.9 million qualifying offer as a real possibility. “So they’ve really tried to make a deal where they have no risk and are taking, you know, to me advantage of the situation of the market being closed.”

“So JK, when and why is the QO a real thing? If you know Jonathan, he is very has a lot of self-belief. He’s very confident. I tell people all the time, you know, and I tell the words, “Look who you’re you’re dealing with.” I don’t know many people that could be getting DMPS in the playoffs, not play for three weeks, come into game two against Minnesota, make his first nine shots, then go out the next night and have 30 points and six rebounds at his age.” He further explained.

Aaron Turner seemingly indicated that if the Dubs front office doesn’t respect Jonathan Kuminga, then they wouldn’t hesitate to ink the qualifying offer, despite it costing them millions. This would at least allow the 22-year-old to join a team of his choice next summer once the deal expires. While that’s one way to get Kuminga the deal that he and his camp think he deserves, it makes you feel bad for the young star, as at this point, the tussle isn’t for money, it’s rather for control and respect. This isn’t what we think; a former player also shares this thought.

A former NBA player extends his support to JK amid the Warriors’ injustice

For months now, the Golden State Warriors have been reluctant to offer Jonathan Kuminga a deal that he and his team think he deserves. While many think the money is the factor that’s causing the holdup, it’s not. On the contrary, it’s the franchise giving the 22-year-old the respect and control over his next move, which they don’t seem too interested in offering. As this battle continues to rage on with the October 1st deadline to accept the qualifying deal closing in, a former Suns player has sent best wishes to JK.

Former NBA star Kevin Johnson weighed in on this situation. “When I watch him play, my heart goes out to him because I was feeling the same way he’s probably feeling when I was in Cleveland,” he said. Johnson suggested that the scenario in which Kuminga is currently in is something he also faced during his time with the Cavs, after which he moved to the Suns. Moreover, he advised the 22-year-old youngster not to worry too much about the whole scenario, as he stated that struggles won’t last forever.

That’s great advice from the veteran, as Jonathan Kuminga could really use some assurance with signing a qualifying offer seeming like his last option. While there are a couple of other reported offers, such as the two-year $45 million or the three-year $75 million deal, both deals have the last year a team option, which is something that Kuminga and his team don’t want. So, with time running out, all eyes are on Kuminga– either way, this chaotic saga will be coming to an end in the next few weeks, as we continue to monitor the situation closely.