When it comes to taking sides in the Jonathan Kuminga-Golden State Warriors saga, you can bet the NBA legend Isiah Thomas is siding with the player.
Despite signing a two-year deal with the Warriors ahead of the 2025-2026 NBA season, Kuminga has been out of the rotation.
The veteran forward went from starting in the first 13 games of the season to eventually falling out of favor with Steve Kerr.
"Clearly, there is an issue between him and Steve Kerr," Thomas said on Run It Back this week.
"From a playing standpoint, it's kind of universally accepted that he can play. Here's what we don't know: We don't know if he can play because Steve Kerr hasn't really played him in years. Very rarely does a player sit on a team's bench for years and doesn't get to play even when there is a coach-player conflict."
In 18 games this season, Kuminga averaged 24.8 minutes on the court. The veteran forward produced 11.8 points per game, while shooting 43 percent from the field. He also came down with 6.2 rebounds per game and dished out 2.6 assists.
The fit proved to be awkward at times, but the fact that Kuminga went from earning a $46.8 million deal to falling completely out of a rotation without a crystal-clear regression within a couple of months surely calls for some major questions.
Without having most of the answers, Thomas credits Kuminga for how he's handled the situation throughout the season.
"It's a very strange situation," the legend continued.
"I give Kuminga a lot of credit for not blowing up. He must have some good vets around him and some good people in his family because I know if it was me or any other NBA player, we Latrell Sprewell. We choking the coach."
Kuminga, with plenty of proper guidance from Warriors veterans, has laid low and kept working. He can't improve his trade value on the court, but his professionalism has been a plus.
Soon, the Warriors will have the opportunity to discuss trades surrounding Kuminga. All signs point to Golden State moving on, but they have a month to figure out their direction.
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