The Jonathan Kuminga era is over for the Golden State Warriors, and now that the two sides have parted following an acrimonious relationship, alleged details are beginning to emerge, showing us how bad it got before Golden State traded Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks.
While it had been known for some time that Kuminga and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr did not see eye-to-eye, which was evident by Kuminga's uneven and, at times, nonexistent playing time. The situation seemed at its worst this season, when a healthy Kuminga did not play for 16 straight games, which had been believed to be completely Kerr's decision. However, Warriors sources are now starting to point the finger at Kuminga for his alleged role in the DNP streak.
“Within that stretch, sources said Kuminga was asked to go onto the court four times, but he declined three mop-up duty opportunities and ruled himself out of the Thunder game on Jan. 2 because of back soreness after Kerr said he'd get a chunk of minutes with Curry, Butler and Green out,” ESPN's Anthony Slater wrote.
“Members of the coaching staff and front office, team sources said, viewed that deactivation against the Thunder as the unofficial end, a sign he'd quit on the team.
“Kuminga, sources said, felt that they'd already quit on him and viewed the sudden request to go from ice cold and rotting on the end of the bench to a national TV date with the defending champions as a recipe to shame him. He was sore from weight work and declined their latest request to be the in-case-of-emergency option.”
After coming off the bench for the first time this season and playing 12 minutes, then a season low, against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 12, Kuminga completely fell out of Kerr's rotation, and he did not see the floor again until Nov. 29. After four straight games played, during which he averaged 7.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 19.3 minutes per game, Kuminga played in just three more games with the Warriors over a nearly two-month span.
It had been speculated for some time that the two sides would eventually part, as trades had been rumored and Kuminga, as a restricted free agent, had held out for months last offseason in hopes of an offer sheet or trade. Ultimately, despite thoughts that he may sign his qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026, he and the Warriors agreed to a two-year, $46.8 million extension on the first day of training camp. A little more than four months later, Golden State traded Kuminga, as well as Buddy Hield, to the Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis.
Kuminga, who is dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee, has yet to debut for Atlanta, but he is expected to do so after the NBA All-Star break.
