While it has seemed like the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga are headed for a split, head coach Steve Kerr has said he will work him back into the rotation which may have been impact by owner Joe Lacob's leaked email.
Kerr said that Kuminga has [been practicing much better](https://x.com/NickFriedell/status/2001368517531332693) and that he's going to reward him by working him back into the rotation after three straight games in which Kuminga rode the bench for the entirety.
Warriors see surprising lineup shakeup after Lacob's email
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Kuminga won't start on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns, but he will get minutes off the bench that will include playing alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. That means a lot of eye balls will be on Kuminga as everyone is anxious to see what he will look like after being taken out of action.
There has been [so much speculation](https://bluemanhoop.com/warriors-have-made-stance-jonathan-kuminga-crystal-clear) about his trade value ahead of January 15th which is when the Warriors can officially trade the young forward. The irony is that if he plays and continues to look bad, his value will go down, while if he plays and looks good and actually helps the team win games, then the Warriors may be less inclined to deal him.
But it seems like this decision may be coming from upstairs as Lacob seemed to imply in his email to a disgruntled fan that certain players were not playing or were being under-utilized due to Kerr's decision-making.
Many speculated that Lacob was referring to Kuminga, so it's at least a little suspicious that right after this email episode, Kerr suddenly wants to work Kuminga in more.
Kerr's history would suggest he's not going to just leave Kuminga out there to appease the owner though. If Kuminga plays and struggles, Kerr will likely have no hesitation in taking him out of the game and leaning on other players while trusting his gut above all else.
Perhaps the Warriors can recapture whatever they had in that glorious first week of the season -- something that feels so long ago now. Golden State started 4-1, including impressive wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.
Kuminga was playing really well in a starting role and the team was thriving, so maybe somehow the team can rekindle whatever they had going right early on. We'll see how long the former seventh overall pick remains part of the equation, but one can't help but wonder if Kerr's hand was forced by Lacob on this one.