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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 12: Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors reacts before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Chase Center on May 12, 2025 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Former Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (left knee bone bruise) is on the brink of a fresh start — and his long-awaited return is reopening wounds for a restless Warriors fanbase.
Kuminga is expected to make his Atlanta Hawks debut on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, despite being listed as questionable on the injury report. ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that the expectation remains that Kuminga will suit up.
The timing is uncomfortable in the Bay Area.
Golden State dealt Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta for Kristaps Porziņģis at the trade deadline, a bold swing designed to stabilize a frontcourt that had been leaking size, spacing, and rim protection. Weeks later, Porziņģis’ availability remains the biggest unresolved question surrounding the deal.
Porziņģis Sidelined Again as Warriors’ Frontcourt Flux Continues
Kristaps Porzingis, Warriors
GettyThe availability of Kristaps Porzingis of the Golden State Warriors remains in doubt due to illness.
Porziņģis has appeared in just one game so far for Golden State since the trade — and will miss at least the next two.
Slater reported Tuesday that Porziņģis did not travel with the Warriors for their quick road back-to-back in New Orleans and Memphis, signaling an extended absence.
“Kristaps Porzingis did not make the trip to New Orleans with the Warriors,” Slater wrote. “It’s a quick two-gamer with a back-to-back in Memphis. This would indicate Porzingis (out with illness yesterday) is expected to miss at least the next two games. Draymond Green did make the trip.”
For a Warriors team already navigating life without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, the setback further complicates a rotation that has been in flux since the deadline.
Porziņģis was officially ruled out Sunday morning with illness just hours before Golden State stunned the Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić.
Steve Kerr’s Optimism Cut Short
The scratch was especially frustrating given the optimism just 24 hours earlier.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed before tip-off that the news came abruptly.
“I haven’t talked to him, but I just got a text this morning that he was sick and at the hotel,” Kerr told reporters. “He’s not even going to come over here.”
That update reversed momentum. Following Porziņģis’ delayed debut, Kerr said Saturday that the training staff had cleared the former All-Star to handle a slightly increased workload.
“We’ll bump it up a little bit,” Kerr said Saturday. “Talking to the training staff this morning, we’ll be able to bump it up — but not too much.”
Porziņģis was still expected to come off the bench, but the plan represented a meaningful step toward integration as Golden State searched for scoring, spacing, and rim protection with Curry sidelined by patellofemoral pain syndrome.
Illness scrapped that plan entirely.
Warriors’ Caution Reflects Long-Term Risk
Golden State’s methodical approach is rooted in necessity. Porziņģis had already missed 13 consecutive games before the trade and three more afterward while managing Achilles tendinitis — an injury the organization has treated with extreme caution.
Even his lone appearance came with strict minutes monitoring, underscoring the team’s long view rather than short-term urgency.
In just 17 minutes, Porziņģis flashed the two-way skill set that made him such an appealing acquisition. He finished with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three-point range, while adding two blocks on the defensive end.
Still, the optics are unavoidable: Kuminga is returning for Atlanta as Porziņģis remains unavailable for Golden State.
Lacob Explains Why Warriors Moved On
Speaking with The San Francisco Standard after a loss to the Boston Celtics last week, Warriors owner Joe Lacob pushed back on the idea that trading Kuminga was emotionally difficult.
“Not hard; everyone assumes a lot about that,” Lacob said. “I liked him as a player, I like him as a person. … At times, he showed a lot of potential for us. Just never quite really worked entirely. And he got injured at inopportune times.”
Lacob framed the deal as a necessary pivot rather than a severed relationship.
“We all knew we had to do something,” Lacob said. “But we weren’t going to give him away. Because he is a talent.”
As Kuminga prepares to begin a new chapter in Atlanta, Warriors fans will be watching closely — not just his box scores, but whether Golden State’s Porziņģis gamble ultimately delivers the payoff that justified moving on.