Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga chats with Steve Kerr.
Getty
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga chats with Steve Kerr.
With the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline approaching and Jonathan Kuminga’s name circulating widely in league chatter, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr finally addressed the situation that has become impossible to ignore.
Kuminga, the former No. 7 overall pick who opened the season with promise, has quietly disappeared from Kerr’s regular rotation — a decision that has fueled speculation about his future and sharpened the sense that his time in Golden State may be nearing its end.
On Friday, Kerr explained why.
Kerr Cites Reasons Why Kuminga is Out of Rotation
Kerr was direct when asked why Kuminga is no longer part of the nightly plan.
“I’m disappointed for him that things didn’t continue to go the way they did the first couple of weeks,” Kerr said. “At the same time, it was going to be tricky to start JK, Jimmy and Draymond at the two, three and four. I think anybody can see that’s a tough combination, just based on shooting.
“Sometimes Steph can offset every spacing obstacle in your way — he’s that good — but in the modern NBA, I think it’s tough to do that. And I think we recognize that. We gave that lineup several weeks, and eventually the weaknesses of the lineup were exposed, and that’s why we went in a different direction.”
Kerr framed his decision to take Kuminga out of rotation not as a referendum on Kuminga’s talent, but on lineup functionality.
Advanced Metrics Reveal a Mixed Picture
The data reflect Kerr’s dilemma.
According to Cleaning The Glass, which filters out garbage-time possessions, the Warriors are plus-19.3 in lineups featuring Kuminga alongside Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Brandin Podziemski over 137 possessions — the team’s second-most used unit.
However, the team’s most frequently used lineup — Curry, Moses Moody, Butler, Green and Quinten Post — has posted a minus-4.7 differential over 218 possessions.
Other Kuminga-adjacent combinations show volatility:
• Kuminga-Curry-Green-Butler-Post: +14.9 in 94 possessions
• Kuminga-Curry-Green-Butler-Horford: −20.6 in 32 possessions
• Kuminga-Green-Butler with Podziemski and Moody: −23.0 in 30 possessions
Meanwhile, one of Kerr’s current preferred small-ball lineups — Curry, Butler, Green with De’Anthony Melton and rookie Will Richard — has posted a staggering +44.3 net rating in 25 possessions, albeit in a much smaller sample.
The numbers underscore what Kerr described: flashes of upside, surrounded by inconsistency.
Preserving Draymond Green Is a Major Factor
One of Kerr’s biggest concerns is positional stress — specifically on Green.
Starting Kuminga often requires Green to shift to center, something Kerr is reluctant to do over the long term.
“The starting lineup was tricky coming into the season because I liked the way we finished last year, obviously with Draymond at the five,” Kerr said. “But that was just a 30-game run. We went 23–8, I think. I didn’t want to play Draymond at the five for 82 games.”
Golden State has instead committed to size by starting Post, sacrificing some switchability for sustainability. Then, he picked Moody over Podziemski for the other starting spot. That effectively left Kuminga out of rotation, with Melton returning from a serious injury and Richard showcasing more defensive upside.
“I liked both Moses and BP in the starting lineup last year,” Kerr said. “If I was going to start big — which we’ve committed to with Quinten — we could only pick one. So we picked Moses for the on-ball defense, and BP’s coming off the bench.”
Rotation Stability Now Trumps Development
Kerr emphasized that his rotation decisions are driven by continuity and trust.
“It’s a rotation thing,” Kerr said. “We’re in a place right now where we feel pretty good about our starting lineup. We’ve probably been 10 games into a regular rotation and he’s just been out of that. And it can change. It can always change. But right now, things haven’t gone his way.”
Golden State is 9-9 this season in games Kuminga does not play.
With veteran depth stabilizing the bench and the team jockeying for playoff positioning, Kerr appears more focused on lineup certainty than player development.
Trade Deadline Adds Inevitable Pressure
Kuminga becomes trade-eligible Jan. 15, and multiple reports have indicated the Warriors are canvassing the league for potential offers.
Whether a deal materializes or not, Kerr acknowledged the human toll.
“I know guys’ names are out there sometimes, and I’ll chat with them, and it’s always hard,” Kerr said. “You’re in one place, you might have kids in school, you start reading your name, you start thinking about how much your life might be upended. It’s difficult. But it’s part of it.”
Kerr spoke from experience.
“I lived it as a player,” he said. “So you try to help your guys through it.”
A Crossroads for Kuminga and the Warriors
At just 23, Kuminga remains one of the league’s most physically gifted young forwards. But in Golden State’s win-now ecosystem — built around Curry, Butler and Green — fit has become more important than potential.
Whether Kuminga’s future lies in Golden State or elsewhere may soon be decided not by his talent, but by timing.
The Warriors are no longer building for tomorrow.
They are building for April.
And for now, that has left Jonathan Kuminga on the outside looking in.