07-24-2025, 11:36 PM
On Kuminga, I think there's a very real chance he ends up taking their 7.9M QO.
I think he wants 20M+ starting salary as what he feels he's worth.
I think GS wants him as an "asset" to use, rather than a player to keep around, with their bigger goal to have him with a salary low enough where he's not in the way of Horford and Melton being added. It may even mean they are making him no actual multi-year offer at all, just leaving QO on the table, and telling him to get an offer for them to match (or decline). If he signs at the QO he's not a trade asset (it gives him no-trade control, and if he waives the no-trade, then he carries with him no Bird rights for the acquiring team to sign him with) but his 7.9M QO is good value for his potential to help this season. And then he walks next summer. Other teams see no value in giving him an offer that GS will match, solving their problem for them, nor in a SNT and giving up much value to sign a player now who would otherwise becomes UFA next summer at no cost at all.
I'm not sure there's really a workable middle ground for the parties. JK doesn't want to be stuck long-term in GS on a cheap contract (as he would see it). They don't want him clogging their cap (paid more than they want for multiple years) and keeping them from Horford/Melton now. So I think he ends up signing the QO and then he walks next summer.
To me the middle ground from where this stands (imo only a slight possibility) is at some point they mutually agree to just divorce and move on, which means GS asks for permission to withdraw the QO, in essence (after he agrees) it removes the ROFR control so he can sign elsewhere and both sides can finish their business.
It's possible this same sort of scenario is playing out with Grimes, Thomas, and perhaps Giddey too. But I think it's most pronounced in GS because I think they are the team whose RFA player excites them the least, to keep him, however they believe he has value around the league to other teams and want to wring some value out of the situation to get some return.
I think he wants 20M+ starting salary as what he feels he's worth.
I think GS wants him as an "asset" to use, rather than a player to keep around, with their bigger goal to have him with a salary low enough where he's not in the way of Horford and Melton being added. It may even mean they are making him no actual multi-year offer at all, just leaving QO on the table, and telling him to get an offer for them to match (or decline). If he signs at the QO he's not a trade asset (it gives him no-trade control, and if he waives the no-trade, then he carries with him no Bird rights for the acquiring team to sign him with) but his 7.9M QO is good value for his potential to help this season. And then he walks next summer. Other teams see no value in giving him an offer that GS will match, solving their problem for them, nor in a SNT and giving up much value to sign a player now who would otherwise becomes UFA next summer at no cost at all.
I'm not sure there's really a workable middle ground for the parties. JK doesn't want to be stuck long-term in GS on a cheap contract (as he would see it). They don't want him clogging their cap (paid more than they want for multiple years) and keeping them from Horford/Melton now. So I think he ends up signing the QO and then he walks next summer.
To me the middle ground from where this stands (imo only a slight possibility) is at some point they mutually agree to just divorce and move on, which means GS asks for permission to withdraw the QO, in essence (after he agrees) it removes the ROFR control so he can sign elsewhere and both sides can finish their business.
It's possible this same sort of scenario is playing out with Grimes, Thomas, and perhaps Giddey too. But I think it's most pronounced in GS because I think they are the team whose RFA player excites them the least, to keep him, however they believe he has value around the league to other teams and want to wring some value out of the situation to get some return.
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