The Warriors general manager officially addressed the embattled Jonathan Kuminga trade front.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. completely understands Jonathan Kuminga's reason behind his reported trade demand to leave the Golden State Warriors. Yet in the end, the Dubs executive let it be known that a potential deal must satisfy what the franchise critically needs.
Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga
MIN: 24.75
PTS: 11.78 (50.21%)
REB: 6.17
AS: 2.56
ST: 0.28
BL: 0.33
TO: 2.44
GM: 18
In his media press conference for the Warriors on Tuesday, Dunleavy officially addressed the Kuminga trade front ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
"As far as the [trade] demand, I’m aware of that. I think in terms of demand, when you make a demand, there needs to be demand on the market," Dunleavy said. "So we’ll see where that unfolds.
"Always with these guys, I tell them I’m willing to work with them and want to help people out, whether that’s JK or any player on our roster. We’re good with his wishes and trying to figure that out, but we have to do what’s best for the organization, and that’s what we’ll do."
Many await what is about to happen on Kuminga after he became trade-eligible from last Jan. 15. Per reports, the disgruntled young forward demanded to be traded out of this roller-coaster season in which he only played 10 games due to DNPs.
As such, it has been revealed that the relationship between both Kuminga and coach Steve Kerr is already beyond repair.
So far, only the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings are the two teams being mentioned to have a genuine interest in Kuminga. But considering the young forward's lowly numbers and inactive situation, the Warriors couldn't get much of what they want from Kuminga.
With Jimmy Butler out for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL injury, Kuminga is slated to be back in the Warriors' rotation. For that, Dunleavy expects the full commitment of the Congolese star, regardless of whether a trade will happen or not.
"I hope he’d play and be bought in," Dunleavy said about Kuminga.
"He’s available every night, and I think there’s a path and a way for him to help us win games. He knows what that is, and if he can do those things, there’s no doubt he can help us."
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