Charles Barkley isn’t one to keep his true thoughts under wraps.
Recently, the legendary NBA player was asked about his thoughts on the Golden State Warriors forward, Jonathan Kuminga.
Now that Kuminga is expected to be back in the Warriors’ rotation in the wake of Jimmy Butler’s season-ending injury, some may wonder if the opportunity could salvage the relationship between the player and the team for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season.
Barkley strongly denies that it will happen.
“That relationship is over. It’s really unfortunate that Jimmy Butler got hurt. He’s a terrific guy and a terrific player. The Kuminga thing is over!” Barkley said clearly. “He’s only playing because Jimmy got hurt.”
For the outsiders looking in, the situation has been a bit puzzling. It was clear the Warriors weren’t sold on Kuminga long-term, but they still signed him to a two-year deal, with plans to potentially move on before the February trade deadline.
Steve Kerr rolled out Kuminga as a starter throughout the first month of the season before taking him out of the rotation. Prior to Jimmy Butler’s injury, he was consistently collecting DNPs for the Warriors. In the two games since Butler’s injury, Kuminga has been rolled out in both games.
“They must not think he can play,” Barkley added.
“I don’t know [if he can], I haven’t seen enough of him. They know him better than anybody. When they did not extend him, like all of the other rookies were extended, then he had the contentious contract negotiations. They didn’t want to pay him. On the outside looking in, they know something.”
In his first game back, Kuminga scored 20 points in 21 minutes against the Toronto Raptors. During the second outing against the Dallas Mavericks, Kuminga checked in for just nine minutes. He produced 10 points while grabbing just one rebound and passing out two assists.
Currently, Kuminga has an active trade request submitted to the Warriors. The team’s front office leader, Mike Dunleavy, made it clear that the market is lacking for the forward. There is a chance Kuminga could find a change of scenery before the February deadline. Barkley seems to hope that’s the case.
For the time being, the young forward will have to continue driving up his value during limited minutes.