Dieter Kurtenbach: The Warriors' future is murky, but here's what to expect this offseason

I doubt it, but can’t eliminate the possibility — especially if the Warriors go bold this offseason.

3. The Dubs make a big decision on Jonathan Kuminga

Jonathan Kuminga will be extension-eligible this offseason. So while he’s affordable today — perhaps even a bargain — those times won’t last.

Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels signed a five-year, $136 million extension in October.

McDaniels is an outstanding defender, but he’s a 10-point-per-game player, and he’ll be paid $30 million a season starting next season.

Thirty million for Jaden McDaniels. The NBA is an absurd league.

Now, Kuminga is going to get at least that. At age 21, he was nearly a 20-point-per-game scorer down the stretch.

It’ll be a year delayed, but that’s a big chunk of salary heading to the Dubs’ books.

The Warriors must ask if they can do better with that salary space over the next few seasons.

The Warriors have two paths to relevancy in the West next season. The first is to trade Kuminga — this team’s most valuable trade asset — for a bona fide No. 2 option. (They can also offload Wiggins in such a deal.)

The second is to hope and pray Kuminga becomes that No. 2 next season.

He had a 90-second burst of such play in Tuesday’s game, which only showed he’s not likely to take that leap in his age-22 campaign.

He might get there eventually. He might never — this Year 3 leap might be his most significant.

But with the extension deadline looming, the Warriors have to place their bet this summer.

The NBA trade market is constantly changing, but as things stand today, there’s only one deal the Warriors can and should make:

If the Nets are open to trading Mikal Bridges — they have stonewalled prior advances for the star wing — the Warriors can package Wiggins’ contract with Kuminga and draft picks (they’d have to move a first-round pick to rid themselves of Wiggins under any circumstance) to acquire him. That would be a massive win.

I don’t expect that to happen, though.

And considering the list of players expected to be available, it’s hard to imagine the Warriors trading the young wing for any of them—even with their reservations about Kuminga.

Trading Kuminga to land Dejounte Murray doesn’t make sense, even though Murray would be an excellent fit with the Dubs and provide much-needed on-ball defense for opposing point guards.

I expect the Warriors will pay Kuminga in October. They’ll hold onto Wiggins and keep him on the trade block next season, looking to move the wing before Kuminga’s contract extension activates in 2025-26.

In all, the Dubs, who are $4.6 and $15.5 million under the tax thresholds going into this offseason, per Salary Swish, will find a way to stay under the line.

But will this team be any better?