Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy dropped the mic on Monday night, suggesting that Jonathan Kuminga’s trade demand isn’t moving the market because there simply isn’t a demand for his services.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania reported on Jan. 15 that Kuminga demanded a trade, the first day he could officially be moved based on when he signed his current contract.
ESPN’s report also noted that “every major figure on the ground level of the operation—most notably Kuminga, [head coach Steve] Kerr and the veterans watching a $22.5 million player sit on the bench while the team is stuck in a ‘mediocre’ state, as Butler called it—agree that the best resolution is to trade Kuminga prior to the deadline.”
The Kuminga saga has dragged on for the past two years now, with the young forward never quite fitting into the frontcourt mix next to Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. That lasted into the summer, when the two sides had contentious contract talks. But with Butler done for the season after tearing his ACL, there’s potentially a bigger role for Kuminga awaiting if he stays.
Head coach Steve Kerr indicated as much on Monday.
“Could be,” he noted. “Obviously he hasn’t played in awhile. But at this point we have to experiment a little bit with rotations, see where we are, and he’s definitely a part of that talk, that conversation.”
It’s possible, however, that the relationship between the player and organization has simply soured beyond repair at this point.
Marcus Thompson II, Sam Amick and Nick Friedell of The Athletic even reported that when Kuminga’s name popped up on the injury report about an hour before tip-off head of a Jan. 2 loss and he didn’t play, it “certainly raised some eyebrows across the league, and frustration within the Warriors’ organization. Multiple team sources said they suspect Kuminga wasn’t actually hurt.”
One way or another, Kuminga’s journey with the Warriors isn’t going to extend beyond the 2025-26 season. The Dubs hold a $24.3 million club option on his deal for next season and it’s hard to imagine them exercising it at this point.
A divorce seems best for both sides. Whether that’s before February’s trade deadline or this summer remains to be seen.
