Building around superstar point guard Steph Curry has been easy for the Golden State Warriors for the past decade, but as the two-time NBA MVP nears retirement, the franchise has to focus on young talent to build its future around.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, they have not had much luck with developing young talent.
In the 2021 draft, the Warriors selected Jonathan Kuminga seventh overall, and the young forward has shown plenty of promise. When Curry went down with an injury in the second round of this year's playoffs, Kuminga stepped up to keep the team's offense afloat, but his future in Golden State is still in doubt.
Kuminga is set to enter restricted free agency, although a sign-and-trade to find him a new team seems to be the most likely scenario this offseason. The main reason why Kuminga is so unlikely to return to the Warriors is his crumbling relationship with head coach Steve Kerr, who benched him at the end of the season.
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) reacts after a foul with head coach Steve Kerr
Jan 25, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) reacts after a foul with head coach Steve Kerr against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
On Wednesday, Steve Kerr was asked about Kuminga's fit on the Warriors, and the veteran head coach had a very telling response.
"It's a tricky one because Jonathan [Kuminga] obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more," Kerr said. "For me, I've been asked to win, and right now he's not a guy who I can say I'm gonna play 38 minutes with the roster that we have, Steph and Jimmy and Draymond, and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.
"Doesn't mean he's not a really good player, doesn't mean he's not talented. It just means the fit and with the roster that we have, it is tricky. There's no question."
Kuminga's future with the Warriors is already clouded, but when his head coach admits how "tricky" his fit is on the team, it is easy to say he has played his last game in a Golden State uniform.