Coach Kerr: Jonathan Kuminga will not destabilize the Warriors wardrobe
Jonathan Kumina passed the preseason looking for a better contract or a transfer to another team. He has made it clear that he believes that his career could prosper with more opportunities in another team.
San Francisco – After three months of controversial negotiations for free agency, the eaves of the Golden State Warriors, Jonathan Kumina, signed his contract in Cleveland on Tuesday night, flew to San Francisco on Wednesday and will join the team to train Thursday afternoon.
The next question that looms about the Warriors will be Kumina’s immediate acceptance for the mission in question: take the Warriors back to the contest for the title before the era of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler ends.
Coach Steve Kerr will be in charge of guiding Kumina back to the team. He reiterated twice after Wednesday’s training that has a good personal relationship with Kuminga and does not believe that the player is the “arrives and destroys a team.”
“Jimmy is an alpha,” Kerr said. “Steph and Draymond are Alfas. They direct the costumes. I am not worried about anything.”
Kumina passed the preseason looking for a better contract or a transfer to another team. He has made it clear that he believes that his career could prosper with more opportunities in another team.
But the dynamics of the restricted free agency took him back to the Warriors with a two -year contract for $ 48.5 million, which includes an option of the team for the second season and 15% commission per transfer. His agent, Aaron Turner, made it clear that Kumina was looking for a player option.
During the negotiations, both parties recognized the difficulty of fitting and finally opted for this contractual structure because it is designed to facilitate its transfer from January 15, when Kuminga is again eligible for transfer.
“We believe we have a player who can be really good,” said General Manager Mike Dunleavy. I don’t think it is necessary to make a movement. Now, we will see how the season takes place. Last year at this time we would have said we needed to improve. Now I don’t think so. I could change. We have many players in the team that have value in the league and could be transferred, but I think the structure is what suits us and the player.
Turner made public many of the details of the negotiations, including a 40-minute podcast with Hoop Collective de AM850, where the transparency of the signature-transpase contract was revealed.
Dunleavy said he would maintain his own version of the “behind closed” negotiations.
“From my point of view, as a former player, and knowing that your career has a deadline, I have no problem with the players do everything possible to get the agreements they want,” said Dunleavy. The money, the team, the role, all those things you are looking for as a free agent. As if you want to do it, I have no problem. Would it do so? No. But I have no problem. The preseason is business time. During the season it is basketball time.
Kerr was in contact with Kumina during the process, wondering how he was and making sure that the fifth year eaves had an important role in the rotation upon his return.
But Kerr, former general manager of Phoenix, remained outside the conversations about the contract.
“I said (to Dunleavy) that there was a reason why I hated being a general manager,” Kerr said. “Those 92 days were a great example of that. I would prefer to be a coach and let management take care of all contractual matters.”
But now the work falls to Kerr, who has been alternating between the rotation and exit of Kumina for four seasons. Kerr said he plans to have a long conversation with Kumina in the next few days to talk about what happened this summer, the scars of the four previous seasons in basketball and what awaits him.
“It may not be the contract I expected, but it is money that changes your life,” Kerr said. “The idea is to improve, to become the player who can become and sign some more contracts. That is what he has to focus and what I have to focus: to improve. That has been what has stopped it: what we need in front of what he wants to do. Without a doubt, it has been a problem.”
