Newly eligible to be dealt as of today, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has demanded a trade out of Golden State, according to Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN.
Kuminga’s trade demand is something of a formality, since his desire for a change of scenery has been a poorly-kept secret for months.
The former No. 7 overall pick discussed potential deals with teams like Sacramento and Phoenix as a restricted free agent during the offseason, but those suitors didn’t have the ability to sign him outright to an offer sheet out of the Warriors’ price range and didn’t make a sign-and-trade offer compelling enough for Golden State to move him.
As a result, Kuminga ended up returning to the Warriors on a two-year, $46.8MM contract that features a team option for 2026/27. After opening the season in the starting lineup, he was moved to the second unit in November and eventually fell out of the rotation altogether. The fifth-year forward hasn’t seen any action since December 18.
The relationship between Kuminga and the Warriors has deteriorated to the point that virtually every party involved in the situation agrees a trade would be the best outcome, per Slater and Charania. Even team owner Joe Lacob, who has long been one of Kuminga’s top boosters in the organization, is “down” on the 23-year-old at this point, team sources tell Marcus Thompson II, Sam Amick, and Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
Still, Kuminga’s value has declined considerably in recent years and has fallen further during the first half of this season due to his DNP-CDs, so it will be difficult for the Warriors to get the kind of return they want. For instance, the Kings, who were offering Malik Monk and a 2030 first-round pick (top-12 protected) during the summer, remain interested in the forward but are no longer willing to include a first-rounder in their offer, according to The Athletic.
With Kuminga’s value at a low point, Warriors sources have insisted that the team would be comfortable keeping him on the roster beyond the trade deadline and revisiting the situation over the summer, according to both ESPN and The Athletic. While Golden State says it won’t make a deal unless it gets real value in return, per The Athletic, Slater and Charania say rival executives are skeptical of the Warriors’ posturing and believe Kuminga will be on the move before the February 5 trade deadline.
Phoenix is reportedly no longer interested in Kuminga, but there are other possible suitors in play. The Mavericks have also shown interest, Slater and Charania confirm, though one recent report suggested Dallas was only eyeing Kuminga as part of a potential deal involving Anthony Davis. It’s unclear if the Mavs would pursue Kuminga separately or if they just viewed him as an appealing piece within a larger return.
League and team sources confirm to The Athletic that the Lakers have some level in interest in Kuminga, though it doesn’t sound as if the two teams have engaged in any real talks about him to this point.
The Warriors have been cited as a potential suitor for Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., but a team source tells The Athletic that there haven’t been substantial discussions between those two teams. Slater and Charania, meanwhile, cite league sources who say the Warriors haven’t talked to Brooklyn in over a month and have “never shown real interest” in making a move for Porter.
Golden State has been frequently linked to Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but there has never been any indication New Orleans wants Kuminga, and Joe Dumars‘ front office has been rebuffing inquiries on Murphy, ESPN confirms.
Here are a few more Kuminga-related items of interest:
- League sources tell Slater and Charania that the Warriors are prioritizing expiring salaries in a Kuminga deal and aren’t looking to take on multiyear contracts unless they view those contracts as “no-brainer positive value.” That’s why Golden State was never all that interested in a deal involving Monk, though sources tell ESPN that Kings guard Keon Ellis is a player who would intrigue the Warriors as a “potential sweetener.”
- For the right star, the Warriors would be open to moving multiple first-round picks, per Slater and Charania. Team sources tell ESPN that Golden State is more willing to part with its 2026 first-rounder than with picks in 2028 and beyond.
- It looked like Kuminga would get a chance to return to the Warriors’ rotation on January 2 with several regulars sidelined for health reasons, but he was a late scratch due to lower back soreness. According to Thompson, Amick, and Friedell, that turn of events created some frustration within the organization, with multiple team sources telling The Athletic they suspect Kuminga wasn’t actually injured. “I wouldn’t have played either,” one Warriors player said. “It’s clear the coach doesn’t believe in him.”
- Speaking of that coach, Steve Kerr was among the members within the organization who was in favor of drafting Franz Wagner with the seventh pick in the 2021 draft, team sources confirm to The Athletic. Wagner ended up being picked eighth overall by Orlando after the Warriors took Kuminga due to their desire to add “athleticism and potential star power” to the roster.
Here we go!!!
KD, Klay, Poole, Kuminga, and even Bob Myers wanted out of golden state. Everyone can’t get away from that sinking ship fast enough. Steph must feel like he should’ve left long ago too.
Yup, Steve Kerr sure is horrific to work with!!
Ill let Steve know you need more from him Davey…. kiss the rings
Those rings he got 100% from relying on Curry greatness that he himself tried everything he could to be a roadblock to? Sure. Same story every franchise he won rings with.
Steve Kerr = no talent.
Prove me wrong, oh wait, you can’t, as he has only, cowardly, coached 1 team with Curry on it. Pop won with multiple rosters, Kerr can only win with Curry. Kerr will never coach another team in this league, because he is bad at the job and no one would ever want him.
Ummm ….pops had Tim Duncan for every ring.
pops never went small when it didnt work
Let’s not compare Kerr to the GOAT of nba coaches. It’s not worth it.
Yeah because Kerr isn’t a GOAT by any measure, and is the most overrated HC of all-time. GSW never needed him, period.
Id take Kerr over Doc Rivers any day.
That’s the only one, lmao
In 2026 neither of them should have jobs in the NBA. Both should be retired and chilling somewhere.
Who do you suggest the Warriors hire as their next coach?
Without Kerr there is no way they are even a .500 squad with their terrible roster.
I am in total shock that he wants out. He should not have signed the contract but the money was too good to pass up.
Not surprising for me, to be honest. It became clear that he wanted out just from the jump since last season; in fact, I believe that he signed the contract just so he and the Warriors could spend more time testing things out between each other and potentially looking for other opportunities, but it seems that Kuminga really doesn’t want to be there anymore. Now, it’s just a matter of time for us to see the “to where” and “for whom” when it comes to Kuminga.
“Total shock”? Is that sarcasm?
Davey it’s gotta be sarcasm lol
I dont understand. Are you blaming Kuminga or Warriors for the signing?
Kuminga is to blame for signing and then wanting out. Classless and a lazy player.
Why? he’s getting what he wanted all along – millions of $ and getting traded.
But it’s ok for the warriors to pay him and then not play him and shop him as they see fit? Stop acting like this is a one sided affair. Warriors have mishandled this from the beginning. I’m sure it’s going to end badly too lol
From that NYT/Athletic link
“At this point, the most the Warriors got out of three lottery picks was a solid rotation player in Moses Moody.”
Moses Moody – does NOT suck.
Well, Moody in his 5th season is avging 10.6 ppg on a career low 41.6% shooting with just 3.0 rpg 1.5 apg with 1.0 TO pg while playing with the gravity from being a starter on the court with Steph and Jimmy DOES suck.
More ragebaiting based off nothing. I am sick of your crap, enjoy your MUTING.
Posting Moody’s stat facts can’t reasonably be termed “ragebaiting”.
Dubs, please move him! I genuinely hope JK can move on and have a bright future somewhere else. That being said, whatever the Warriors do receive player(s) that can plug and play and put us back into title competitive group!
Yes, I agree on the player. I hope it works out. I hope he becomes great and is successful in his future ventures.
But as far as the return right now? It’s not going to be diddly squat. He just ruined that potential favorable outcome this morning.
Unless he’s part of a massive five team deal, at most the Warriors can expect back at this point is some scrub making about the same salary, and a second round pick, if that !!
Warriors insider is saying Nets do not want Kuminga. The Nets has not talked to warriors in a month. Just hope the warriors don’t hold out too long and blow it.
How can you not think the Warriors haven’t held out too long already?
You can’t go back in time. They should have traded him 2 years ago. Now they need to understand his value is nothing.
Thats what the Nets need to say if they want to get 2-3 first round picks.
This whole situation was really embarrassing. Warriors fans can’t wait for it to be over.
It’s not embarrassing unless you wanted to see just how bad Kerr is at his job of developing players, its more frustrating due to the new salary cap rules. Hope GSW can at least get some players out of this who will actually play.
Both sides should be embarrassed. Warriors for letting it go this far and Kuminga thinking he is a max extension player. Why owners need to stay out of the draft room.
Think in Kuminga ‘s case it was more of “if you to keep me then show me” situation. The kid just wanted an opportunity, it never came and now he wants out. I don’t blame the Warriors, they were trying to win but they should’ve traded the pick they used to get Kuminga to upgrade their roster.
There are always variety of opinions on a draft within a team. At the end, you draft as a team. It’s such a bs about Wagner report to throw Lacob under the bus.
Just from what Lacob has said in the past you know he picked Kuminga. Lacob quote the he promised his dad he would never trade Kuminga because he will be a big star. Is a very strange thing to say from a few years ago.
No it was true, it was reported many times. Also, the vets on the team (Curry, Green, etc.) wanted to trade those draft picks for another vet or two. They didn’t think a rookie would’ve been able to step in to contribute immediately but the FO and Ownership wanted that 2-timeline BS.
Lacob has been pretty much on record that he didn’t think Curry was still going to be this elite at this age (that ’22 Championship was a surprise). He was trying to make sure that once Curry retired or went to another team in the future, the Dubs weren’t going to see too much of a downturn after.
The real problem is that Kuminga thinks he is a far better player than he actually is
No. The real problem is gs is paying him more than he’s worth
Kuminga currently leads the team in rebounds a game, he isn’t some scrub like you are overreaching to say here.
It’s not that hard to lead a group in rebounds when they’re all under 6’6”, over 35, or both.
While that’s true, 6’8″ Scottie Barnes had 25 f’n rebounds while Kuminga, a guy who usually guards him, had a DNP thanks to his coach actively trying to destroy the team by playing the dumbest rotations imaginable. GSW is getting destroyed on the boards while their best reb/g guy gets benched so Kerr can play 4 guys under 6’4″ at once, who proceed to get annihilated.
Like, do we honestly think Barnes has 25 rebs if Kuminga is defending him? Of course he wouldn’t, that’s crazy talk. Kuminga is nowhere NEAR as bad as many posters are claiming. Those who watched what happens with Kerr know the real deal – Kuminga likely still has an elite ceiling, so let’s see him play.
Bottom line: GP2, Buddy, Podz and Spencer play absolutely woeful defense and get destroyed on the boards, because they are all too small to play with 2 other undersized guards. If Kuminga played instead of those guys, GSW would have won way more games, period.
Not sure about Kuminga having an elite ceiling but the GSW are most definitely mismanaged through coaching and management staff.
HERE WE GO!!!!!
Lmao!! The dumpster is about to catch fire.
He thinks he is so good. He is a 2nd unit player.
thats totally insane. he is a starter on a playoff team, he literally was that last season.
Umm, he started in 1 game in the playoffs last season out of the 12 playoff games, only because Butler was hurt.
Ummm, he averaged 27.4 mins a game vs the Wolves – thats starter minutes, please dont do this gotcha crap on me.
FYI, playing “starter minutes” while not starting games doesn’t make a player a starter.
Reality, Davey J – you should TRY it sometime!
His trade value is comical at this point
During negotiations in the summer, Kuminga’s agent actually said that they feel like the Warriors should pay him BECAUSE he had lost his spot in the roster and wasn’t given an opportunity to shine, and that if he got 30 million a year he would be fully committed moving forward.
That should’ve been the sign for the Warriors to move on from this balding head case, as seemingly he is <72% committed to the team with his mere 25 million.
The Warriors should’ve exercised their option, pay him 9 million, and let him leave for nothing. Could’ve used that money on something else I presume. This isn’t me saying so in hindsight it was clear to me after what his agent said.
Would you be committed to your employer if you didn’t get any hours?
They couldn’t have just used that money on someone else because of the salary cap rules. That is exactly why they even want to retain him, he is essentially a human trade exception at this time. His ego just refuses to see it.
“balding head case” – why say this? We all saw Kerr relentlessly gaslight him over and over, Kerr who never calls practice or team meetings, Kerr who said 15-50 was his fave season ever because no pressure, Kerr giving Kuminga multiple roles per game so it confuses him, when many players get consistent roles…need I go on? Hairline criticisms are worthless, only 12 year olds win those arguments, thats why 12 year olds use it, they cant win an argument any other way, which is idiotic, as they will also go bald eventually.
Biggest head case on GSW is a toss up between Dray, Buddy, Kerr, Jimmy, Podz and Steph (he is chaotic good).
“Could’ve used that money on something else I presume” – actually no, they lose that money spot, however, they get his current salary as one.
You really don’t know ball.
the classic…you can’t fire me!..cuz I QUIT!
It was a grave mistake to extend somebody who had lost his rotation spot for $50MM/2 yrs, just to try and extract value in a trade.
If that’s the plan then you have to be playing him and reconstruct the offense to make him shine, which they were obviously not going to do with Steph Draymond and Butler on the team.
Now he has negative trade value and you’re stuck with a toxic player for one and a half more years, when you could’ve just paid him $9 million for his final season and let him walk “for nothing”, even though you would be sending a strong message in your organization about the player’s accountability in the team’s player development, as Kuminga failed to become an efficient shooter, which is probably the easiest skill to master, so it really wouldn’t be losing him for nothing.
couldn’t disagree more
This is one of those cases where whether or not you’re a fan of Kuminga, I think we can all agree that the Warriors have mismanaged this situation almost from the jump. And the doubling down on past mistakes has really been something to watch unfold. Even if Kuminga is far from blameless in this whole ordeal, Dunleavy needs to take a long look in the mirror.
shea you nailed it. DXC described it exactly below as well.
@sheagoodbye
Yep, no notes on that comment. Kerr should have been fired the day after the Draymond punch.
Because of salary matching rules for trades they absolutely needed him at that salary on the roster. And that is regardless of if he played. If he played and played well he would have had higher trade value obviously but your framing of this is completely off base.
You keep repeating “use the money on something else” but it would be $9M, whereas now its $22.5M. It was always the best move to extend him.
“failed to become an efficient shooter, which is probably the easiest skill to master” how are you so confidently, aggressively wrong about everything? You truly do not know ball. You talking about “easiest skill to master” but you can’t even master basic logic formations. NOTHING in the NBA is “easy” aside from losing. Which Kuminga already has a ring from being the opposite. Kerr has openly stunted his progress by relentlessly benching them starting him, over and over, and then not talking to him ever. Kerr doesn’t do his job, at all. They might keep Kuminga and not re-sign Kerr, then start Kuminga next year.
TWO yrs too late ….
This young man has just screwed up all goodwill that he has been trying to foster up to this point. Now there’s pressure and the return will be even less.
Now he’s a malecontent. Now he is a complainer when the situation isn’t right. Now he’s demanding.
All the coaching he received, all the wonderful statements of doing whatever the team wants, are all out the window now.
Someone got in his ear and said that he needed to take control of his situation and he needed to stand up for himself. He just screwed the Warriors and just screwed himself.
Horrible news this morning. All he did was put on a pretty face for four months. The reality is he was lying.
This was so unnecessary. He knows he’s going to get traded between now and the deadline. Everyone on the face of the planet knows he’s getting traded. But now he demands it? Foolish young man only looking out for himself.
yea, gary….his agent talks too much. like Rich Paul
To be fair, it doesn’t seem as though the Warriors have wanted to keep him around. This is the way it’s done now, negotiation through social media and public opinion.
Should he have quietly asked for a trade, maybe. Why not force the Dubs hand, undercut their ability to drag him out until the summer? Dude wants to actually play, I take that as a good thing. He could quietly collect his millions while he waits… but if it’s all on the down low, how do you trust the warriors are going to do what’s best for him, they most certainly are only looking out for themselves… as you say.
Great points. Yes every player wants to play. But coming out publicly through your agent to the press is foolish.
Word gets around about you and your representation.
He thinks he’s going to get money that franchise icons receive? Respected team first guys like Jrue Holiday receive 40 million a year and provide great leadership?
That’s all out the window at this point.
We all hope he can rebuild With the next team. I’m sure that’s his hope too but easier said than done once a label has been applied.
“But coming out publicly through your agent to the press is foolish.”
Do you have any evidence that happened? All that has come out is Slater and Shams writing that clickbait headline based on (anonymous) sources. And the rest of the media treated it like it was gospel.
Many of us have said the Warriors were going to trade this guy two years ago. The timing, the money, the knee, the agent, etc etc, have never come together in unison to get a deal done.
Most of that, though is probably the Warriors fault as they had a guy with no skill and valued him way too high in asking for a return.
So now we sit here with an understandably upset ball player, and wondering how the heck to get out of this mess?
“quietly” doesn’t make things happen though. “quietly” gets ignored in the workplace no matter where you are. being loud is the ONLY option here.
I don’t think this changes the way any team feels about Kuminga, it is not like any of this was a secret or came out of left field. Everyone has known that he wants out for over a year and everyone knows the warriors extended him this offseason just to trade him for what they think is a better fit or draft assets. There is nothing new here. Warriors misread the market going into last offseason. They should have corrected course and rescinded his qualifying offer to let him go freely instead of signing him to this contract.
@Gary, agree with everything, but Kerr wasn’t authentic in those months either. It feels like there was never any true push by him to incorporate JK any differently or improve his trade value.
Kerr pretended for like 15 games and then sunk Kuminga on the bench so far that I would look at box scores (I don’t get much GSW coverage) and guys like Will Richard and Gui Santos could get minutes over him. Kuminga must’ve really gotten on his bad side.
Unfortunately for Kuminga, all this amounts to is that he basically just signed a 22M qualifying offer instead of 9M. I don’t get the trade demand now either lol, but I think he’s probably scared of the warriors saying to other teams “if you don’t meet our price, we’ll just extend him and trade him in the off-season.” Probably his attempt to blow that up.
Yes, Kerr is no angel here. That’s for sure.
As far as the trade demand, Kuminga’s group had to know a trade is 100% coming between now and February 5.
The warriors saying they’ll just hold onto him if they don’t find a suitable trade is BS.
It’s what they all say so other teams don’t back them into a corner.
Well, JK just backed them into a corner. Great.
The problem with Kerr and so many other head coaches, past and present, is that they expect players to conform to their system rather than the other way around.
This is not meant as disrespect to Kerr, as he’s better than most at what he does and the system he runs obviously makes sense in the context of Curry still being the guy and the cerebral cogs they have. But even having said all of that, I agree that Kerr could’ve done a better job maximizing Kuminga’s skillset, even with the understanding that he would likely never become the type of guy who can play in his system and who has clear flaws he may never solve. It’s obviously a lot easier said than done trying to walk that fine line, but from my outsider’s viewpoint it has still felt like there were times the Warriors could’ve used what Kuminga provides and Kerr was too stubborn to deviate from the tried and true.
You got this totally wrong. His request didnt scrww up anything at all. In fact, the news is probably made public with Warriors blessing. Kuminga, teammates, Kerr, FO, Lacob have all made peace in the last couple weeks and they are all collaborating.
AGaryRSW
Or Shams thought that using the word “demanded” would generate clicks, and by using “according to league sources” no one would question it.
There’s zero evidence that Kuminga or his agent did anything more than request a trade.
Great point. That could very well be the case here.
LOL – no leverage whatsoever. Trade me or what? They are definitely moving him, but what do they get back?
They’ll get nothing back at this point. Has to be a five team deal involving a lot of players for this to work out at all for the Warriors.
They should play him some minutes to build up his value.
Too late.
If he hasn’t played in a game in a month, he’ll be rusty, out of game shape, and look horrible. It’ll make things worse.
Waiting until he formally requests a trade to put him on the court would be so very fitting for how GS has handled this
Kuminga was always going to be salary matching. That’s just how trades work in the NBA.
It’s crazy to me that the Warriors tanked his trade value by refusing to play him. It’s been obvious that he was destined to be traded so why not play him and build up some trade value? It’s basically coaching malpractice.
Cuz they trying to win games and he was not helping with that goal.
They aren’t winning games though.
Have you seen him play? Not good at knowing where to be on the court. He was messing up the program!
They had a better win pct in the games he played in than the games he didn’t.
Maybe that’s because they decided to play him in games they were already winning? It is an undeniable fact that he still doesn’t know where he should be on the court in defensive sets. He has no feel for the game and he has a bad jumper. If he was a good rebounder and defender he could probably get minutes but all he does well is point of attack man-on-man D and finish at the rim. He has not earned the minutes his champions on this site say he’s been denied.
Most of the games were when Kerr had made him a starter. And it’s a fact that even with all the DNP-CDs, he leads GSW in rpg.
Playing him tanks his value further, because he is no good.
They could’ve forced the QO, saved 13 million plus the tax, and not have to attach picks to offload him now.
People here talking about Giannis trades (lol) while ignoring what is actually happening in reality.
Lol. Playing him would show the world even further that his skills are lacking.
The only value to Kuminga’s game and résumé is “potential.”
You would have to sell a team on their ability to develop him and make him a great player and that yes, the Warriors failed here but the next team can get it done.
That would be the sell, and to play him would not help that cause.
Kerr being an absolutely POS egotistical idiot destroying this dudes career for 0 reason. He is far better than the majority of the players Kerr plays. You telling me Spencer is better than JK? Ridiculous. Kerr needs to get over himself. A terrible coach that would be recognized as terrible if he didn’t ride Curry’s coattails for years
There were better options on the bench. Spencer is a guard, and Kuminga is not.
Online features, the goal is to win basketball games. Would you agree with that?
Is Jonathan Kuminga a better basketball player than Pat Spencer? Most would say yes. Who would win playing one on one? Undoubtedly JK.
But if you can’t see that sometimes playing a different combination of players than the casual observer would’ve chosen in order to win the game, then there’s nothing anyone could say to change your mind.
You observe basketball in your own way and that’s it. Fair enough, but I disagree with your viewpoint 100%.
One quick additional point I’d like to make is that using these terms to describe another man and name-calling really doesn’t help your cause as it relates to compelling others towards your way of thinking.
Labeling someone as a piece of excrement and calling a grown man an idiot really reflects poorly on you, not Steve Kerr.
Just FYI, GSW is 10-8 when he played and 13-11 when he sat. (Do the math).
I would say that Kuminga is a more talented athlete but Spencer is a smarter ball player.
It’s not Pat Spencer, it was Kerr playing Anthony Lamb, a massive scrub, over Kuminga and Moody.
Moody had a 30 point game as a 19 year old, and yall are saying he is a bust? Nope, thats on Kerr refusing to develop any young player ever.
link to basketball-reference.com
Kerr playing absolute scrubs like Lamb and GP2 instead of Kuminga and Moody, has been a top 5 worst thing he has done as coach.
Fortune favors the bold.
Kings
Sabonis
Ellis
Warriors
Kuminga
Moody
Podziemski
Hield
2027 1st
I’d do that in a heartbeat. Moody and Podz are busts
That’s a great deal and Kuminga and Moody will break out on a team where there is no Steph Curry there being the #1 option.
This is how you know it is in-fact, not a great deal.
The only way this situation works out now is if the entire bench gets dumped.
Moody gone, Payton gone, Podski gone, Buddy gone, Jackson Davis gone. And at least two future first round pics gone, maybe three !!
Probably have to keep Post and Melton. But perhaps one of them goes if you can bring in two rotation playoff caliber dudes.
Here’s the core. Green Butler Curry Horford.
Need two studs or this season is toast. An impact 4 and an impact guard or wing.
Gaming the system has become the NBA way. Talent is scarce, and nobody can afford to lose any of it for nothing. But it’s was 2k-ish to give a new contract to an existing player you don’t want on the team, and who doesn’t want to be on the team, simply in the hope he’ll increase his trade value. That’s an agenda apart from the team’s agenda (winning). Sure, the two agendas could align at times, but they certainly won’t at other times, and most often, it will be somewhere in between and nobody will really know the full team or player motivations.
There’s a reason that almost all players that demand a trade are sent home (or at least historically were). Here the trade demand is meaningless, because there was already a de facto trade demand in place (almost from the minute he signed his contract).
DXC, those are great points and exactly what the Warriors are trying to juggle.
They thought because they were successful with the D’Angelo Russell, Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Durant sign and trade cap manipulations, that now they were experts in the process.
Lol they screwed this up and it’s going to cost them big time.
They screwed up the draft pick at number seven, then they kept him five years without trading him, then they gave him a 2 year 46 million contract so they could gain a player making 23 million a year in return, and each step along the way, put them deeper and deeper into a hole.
Now they will have to pay unnecessarily to get themselves out of it.
LOL. Yes, after rolling 7’s, its best to book your winnings and leave the casino. In fairness, few do.
Kerr=3 point line=Curry=4 rings.Life is simple.Not anymore,lol
This is when you’re reminded that the money isn’t everything.
This dude has millions and is pissed because he can’t get on the court.
NBA draft 2021, the worst draft ever ever ever for the Golden State Warriors. First, they passed on Franz Wagner to pick Kuminga, and then even worse, they passed on Alperen Sengün to pick Moses Moody, all of the front office in Golden State should be ashamed.
Dosumno for jk and a first. Who says no?
Dosunmo is is an unrestricted free agent this offseason – I don’t think the Warriors attach a first to a guy they can’t be sure of signing. I could see Kuminga for Dosunmo straight up
Why would the bulls do that without a first round pick? Ayo is the a better player being paid less money.
That would be tempting. Dosumno seems to be improving every year. Do you trade a valuable developing player for a potential headache and 1st round draft pick?
The Dubs was really lightyears ahead with how they handled Kuminga.
I look forward to 2 months of playoffs with zero Warriors talk after they lose in the play-in to the Clippers.
So, I don’t watch many Warriors games, but obviously have known about this Dubs/Kuminga stand off for years. My question is, is it Kuminga, or is it the Warriors that are truly the issue?
I mean, JK definitely has the build and explosiveness that NBA teams look for. The times I have seen him he just looks lazy. Is it as simple as that, a guy with skill that just doesn’t want to put in the effort to improve, or he like that because the organization has jerked him around a bunch?
Depends on who you ask.
It’s both.
Really there’s a bunch of reasons he’s not as effective as we would like him to be.
I think he got a late start playing basketball because he’s not from the US and was probably raised on the soccer field.
People say he came into the NBA at only 18 but he isn’t a US 18-year-old or even Euro 18-year-old who’s played basketball for 10 years to that point.
I don’t think he’s lazy, but maybe what appears to be the case is that he doesn’t know where to be on the floor?
So coaches tell him to stand in the corner because he’ll clog things up for others?
And without being a three-point shooter, he’s not effective standing in the corner, waiting for the ball.
He also doesn’t have the precise feel for the game that the stars do. Some guys have eyes in the back of their head and can find teammates, and some guys don’t.
So when you throw him the ball he has to score for himself or nothing. And without the skills that he should have worked on for five years, it often winds up as just that. Nothing.
I think the bottom line for him was that he probably counted on his exceptional physical gifts like jumping ability and speed to carry him to a successful NBA career.
Watching him play, it looks like he hasn’t worked on his game and improved his skills and so here we sit five years later with the same guy that we drafted at 18 but now he’s 23.
He wants five year star money, but he’s still the 18-year-old kid with no game.
Just my 2 cents.
Excellent analysis. I think he’s improved a little but not enough to be a contributor. He’s an athlete but maybe not a basketball player.
You should actually find out about his history before making ass umptions.
JK started playing basketball at the age of 2, despite it being in the Congo.
Read and Learn:
link to thewarriorstalk.com.
Great article thanks for including the link. I enjoyed reading it.
I think there’s a huge difference between growing up in the US or even Europe and playing basketball and growing up in the Congo and walking an hour to the park to play basketball.
To me, it’s like the difference between playing basketball and growing up in New York or playing basketball and growing up in Alaska or Montana or South Dakota.
But if you consider just that he “played,” to be equal development or exposure to the game, then I’ll stand justifiably corrected.
Keep up the good work. I appreciate the things you write here.
It’s Kerr who is the problem. He started Kuminga and said he was “full time/main piece” then on a dime, he went in the opposite direction and DNP’d him. Kerr has been entirely clueless how to do his job for at least 3 years now.
Kuminga played great for the first ten games or so, after that bad Kuminga returned so Kerr benched him
GP2 and Podz play like crap every single time they step on the floor and they gets unlimited minutes because they are undersized guards.
Lols. In a surprise to know one.
Absolutely absurd if Warriors don’t trade him. Free Kuminga.
Not the greatest NBA expert and I mostly focus on my home team, of course. But I agree with the overall sentiment that GS fumbled this big time. After he called their bluff, they should have played him to increase or maintain his value, especially nearing the trade deadline. He seems like a diva, but perhaps in a new atmosphere, with the right coach and locker room, he can turn it around. I would take the risk. You can’t teach athleticism and you have the team option next year. Hopefully, he is smart enough to know if he can’t get it right on his next team, it is pretty much over for his superstar dreams. I know this sounds stupid but if I were the Heat, I would take a risk on Kuminga and Ja.
Wiggins and Fontecio for Kuminga, Moody, and a trade asset.
Morant and KCP for Herro, Rozier, Kasparas, and 2nd round pick (shout out to Sankofa.
GS gets a beloved player that helped them win a championship and a 3 pts shooter. Heat gets more athletic and younger
Memphis gets a great offensive player, an expiring contract, and their point guard of the future. Heat get star power.
If it doesn’t work, put them in a package for Giannis in the offseason…lol.
It shouldn’t be a total shock to anybody. If people have been paying attention enough to the warriors, they’ll realize that things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows right now. And kuminga probably feels extremely undervalued right now because he doesn’t fit the system that Kerr is trying to implement. So imo they should just trade him for the best value available and move tf on. At this point it’s turning more into a reality show instead of a legit basketball game.
But they are all “reality shows”. Jordan’s Bulls, Showtime Lakers, the Bad Boyz in Detroit. Even Duncan’s teams had some drama.
True, but it shouldn’t take all of this attention from the media in order to initiate a trade for jk. Kerr knows that, and the warriors management damn sure knows that
I bet Kuminga’s current contract is the highest annual salary he will ever receeive
Well then make that bet online and then brag when it comes true…which you won’t, because it won’t happen.
Warriors management are stubborn.
Kuminga demands a trade. The coaches demand a trade. Management demands a trade. The other players on the team demand a trade. And the fans demand a trade.
The only problem is trade demand FOR him. And it doesn’t sound like there’s much of that.
I had hoped the deal would be done by noon today. This probably drags on to the deadline.
Just venting some ideas
1. John Collins for Jonathan Kuminga
LA very old roster might want someone younger, JK probably offers better on ball defence and would do well playing off of a playmaker like Harden and with a rim protector like Zubac.
GSW get JC who gives them an expiring deal but offers more of a stretch 4/5, who’s also a solid lob threat. He’d also happily take a bench role to Green if that was what Kerr wanted to do.
2. Kyle Kuzma for JK
Bucks again get someone younger for a potential rebuild, his lack of shooting wouldn’t be ideal but his defensive and athleticism could be good.
GSW get Kuzma who definitely would take up more of a bench forward role but he’s played apart on a title winning side and seems like a good locker room presence and the contract is basically the same as JK’s.
3. Vuce for JK
Vuce is well past his prime but still putting up some decent numbers. Good size and rebounding plus abit of a 3 ball and some playmaking ability.
For Bulls get another young forward to add to their collection for Vuce who is likely done end of the season. Plus Jalen Smith and Zach Collins have been eating up more and more of his minutes anyway so not a big loss.
4. Terrance Mann and DaRon Sharpe for JK
Think JK’s value is below Claxton now so in this deal GSW get back a nice 3 and D wing in Mann but another big in Sharpe who’s done well when Claxton is out.
As for Brooklyn you try build up the roster rather than trade away. Demin Thomas MPJ Kuminga Claxton that’s decent and after another good draft maybe they start progressing up the standings
I’m afraid I can’t resist…
What’s he gonna do if he doesn’t get traded? Sit and not play?
Can’t they just buy him out?😆
Davey hates this one but I think it helps everyone
Warriors get. Nikola Vučević, Klay Thompson, Julian Phillips, two or one 1st from Chicago and two 2nds from Dallas
Chicago get. J Kuminga, Seth Curry and D Russel
Dallas get. Buddy Heild and Noa Essengue
Anyone? Who says no?
Chicago and Dallas said NO.
Yes I see you don’t like Kuminga but don’t be so aloof
Kuminga and Seth Curry to Houston for Stevan Adams, Finney-Smith and picks
Or Finney-Smith, Capela, cash and picks
Anyone?
HOUSTON said NO.
Kuminga, Seth Curry, cash and picks to Atlanta for Kristaps Porziņģis
Anyone?
Warriors will have more headaches with Porzingis… He will be out for most of the games…
Kuminga and Seth Curry to the Spurs for Harrison Barnes and Kelly Olynyk or Luke Kornet and picks
Anyone?
SPURS said NO.
Plus spamming me
Kuminga, Seth Curry, cash and picks to the Wolves for Rudy Gobert
Anyone?
Nope
Kuminga to the 76ers for Drummond, Oubre, a bunch of cash, the copy machine from the Korver trade and picks
Anyone?
76ers: pass…
So reports true or not with the Lakers interested and now kuminga is copping stray bullets from Windhorst of all people, lol. Is that guy affiliated with Rich and Bron. You can’t make this stuff up.
And I demand that trash can play defense and stop being a lazy baby.
Don’t see a point in demanding…they have been trying to move him.