Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors
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Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors
January 15 has arrived, which means that at long last, the Golden State Warriors can trade Jonathan Kuminga, the disgruntled forward who has fallen out of the rotation of his disgruntled team. The two sides have butted heads almost since Kuminga first burst on the scene with his jaw-dropping athletic ability after having been the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
Kuminga played 70 games and averaged 9.3 points as a rookie, but dealt with whispers and rumors from within the organization that he did not work hard enough and was not doing enough to carve out a role on a team that won a championship in his first year. Much has changed since that season, but one source of tension never really budged: The Warriors did not much like Kuminga’s attitude toward the game, and Kuminga did not like how Golden State sought to limit his game.
And so five years later, even after signing a contract after an ugly restricted free agency last summer, Kuminga and the Warriors remain at odds and he can finally be traded in earnest.
Warriors Keeping Jonathan Kuminga Benched
The Warriors have exiled Kuminga, having relegated him to the deep bench since December 18, when he made a brief return to the rotation–he played 9:31–before being injured and not playing again since. On Thursday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Kuminga is demanding a trade out of Golden State, which has been his de facto position for much of the past two years.
Kerr was asked about Kuminga’s exile from the rotation and impending trade on Wednesday during an appearance on KNBR in San Francisco. He said:
“I’m just gonna to say, it’s a difficult situation. I think you guys know it. Everybody knows it. You know, I’m just gonna leave it at that, it’s a difficult situation.
“Wait and see. We have to control what we can control, you know, try to keep moving the ship forward. As I said, this is not an easy situation. It’s not an easy one to talk about, frankly. I try to protect everybody, organizationally. And nobody’s winning right now with this situation and it’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
Golden State Trying to Force Market
The Warriors would like to get a useful player and a first-round pick back for Kuminga on the trade market, but that is proving difficult because the other 29 teams all know that the Warriors are eager to be rid of Kuminga altogether. No one wants to pay a steep price for a player some feel the Warriors would willingly give away.
That means those who have had interest in Kuminga–most notably, the Sacramento Kings, but including teams like the Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers–are hoping to slide into the player with minimal cost. The Warriors are hoping that they can drum up a competitive market for Kuminga, and get a first-round pick as teams bid against each other.
It is, indeed, a difficult situation. But the resolution should be coming, and soon.