Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr, Jonathan Kuminga trade rumors, injury update, Steph Curry injury update, Steve Kerr Kuminga comments, Warriors trade rumors, Draymond Green injury update, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford
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Amid growing Golden State Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga trade rumors, Steve Kerr had concerning comments and injury updates on him and the team.
The Golden State Warriors were without their big three of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler in their blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerrdoesn’tthink the loss will impact their recent hot streak, but a pregame injury update on Jonathan Kuminga led more headlines after the defeat.
Kuminga, a likely trade commodity for Golden State, was reportedly injured in theteam’s warmups anddidn’t end up playing in the game.
After the loss, Kerrgave a concerning update on the forward in a contestthat hewas expected to playbig minutesin with the rest of the main cast out.
“Just before the game,”Kerr said of whenKuminga’s reported back injury occurred, before then responding to a question about whether the injury could linger. “Idon’t know. I have no idea.”
Kuminga has been benched or seen limited playing time under Kerr over the past few weeks, as the trade deadline approaches,and his future with the teamcontinues to be more and more uncertain.
Steve Kerr On Kuminga, Warriors Injury Updates
Kerr remained relatively mum when asked aboutKuminga’s pregame injury, anddidn’t offer much clarity on whether the team believes it will be a concerngoing forward.The four-time champion coach has discussed Kuminga at length recently and hisunknown future in the organization, but on Friday night, he only droppedthose few wordson the 23-year-old.
According to Julian Ojeda of ClutchPoints.com, he believesKerr’s comments, or lackthereof, on Kuminga are even more signals that a trade is near.
“Kuminga’s absence came amid weeks of uncertainty surrounding his role. The former lottery pick has seen his minutes fluctuate this season, and his name has circulated intrade discussions as Golden State evaluates its roster flexibility ahead of the deadline,”he wrote. “Friday’s developments added another layer to that speculation.”
Along with his Kuminga remarks, Kerr gave an update on Curry, Butler, and Green, all of whom missed the Thunder game on the injury report.
“We’ll see with Jimmy,he’s at home sick,”Kerr told reporters postgame. “Draymond definitely will be back and hopefully Steph will be back as well.”
While Curry (ankle) and Green (rest) expect to be back, Al Horford will all but certainly miss the Warriors’ upcoming contest against the Utah Jazz, as it will be the second night of a back-to-back. Butler and Kuminga remain listed as day-to-day on the injury report, while Golden State is still without Seth Curry and L.J. Cryer.
Steve Kerr OnWarriors’ Fading Dynasty
At the same time that Kerr dropped his uncertain stance onKuminga’s injury, the coach has made multiple comments recently about the Warriors’ ticking clock as title contenders in the NBA.
It began on December 27th when Kerr first dropped the ‘fadingdynasty’ line.
“You know, we are no longer the’17 Warriors, dominating the league,”he said, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We are a fading dynasty. We know that. Everybody knows that.”
Additionally, in a recent appearance on the Tom Tolbert Show, Kerrdropped similar remarks about his aging roster,saying that itisn’t realistic for the Warriors tobe competing for titles over the next few yearswith the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
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Steve Kerr says it’s not realistic to expect the Warriors to compete with OKC and Spurs over the next few years
“We know we’re not where we were 5/6 years ago…. I just don’t want anybody to think that we’re all delusional and thinking we should be competing for titles year in
“We knowwe’re not where we were 5/6 years ago,”Kerr said. “I justdon’t want anybody to think thatwe’re all delusional and thinking we should be competing for titles year in and year out with San Antonio and Oklahoma City the next few years.That’s not realistic.”
It’s obvious that Curry is in the final chapter of his career, and while the Golden State front office has made effortson top draft picks with the ‘two-timeline‘strategy, thathasn’t worked out. Perhaps a Kuminga trade could bring in a player that could elevate their floor and give them a chance to win multiple playoff rounds, but for now, with their 18-17 record,Kerr’s ‘fadingdynasty’ comments appear to be true.