Less than two months after extending his stay in the Bay Area, Jonathan Kuminga’s relationship with the Golden State Warriors may not be in a good place.
Head coach Steve Kerr shifted Kuminga to the bench for a 125-120 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 12, and that’s the last time he has suited up.
“He feels like the scapegoat again,” a Warriors source told ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Slater explained that head coach Steve Kerr had reservations about a starting lineup that featured Kuminga, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all together. He also weighed putting Kuminga on the second unit for an Oct. 23 matchup with the Denver Nuggets. Green convinced him otherwise and the Warriors won 137-131 in overtime.
But suffering five losses over a seven-game stretch prompted Kerr to act. Moses Moody took Kuminga’s place in the starting five for the Spurs game, and Kuminga logged just 12:06 off the bench.
Knee tendonitis has kept the 6’8″ forward out entirely since then.
Kuminga averaged 17.5 points on 55.4 percent shooting along with 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in Golden State’s first six games. The early optimism that generated has vanished, as evidenced by Slater’s report.
“For the Warriors to reach their ceiling this season, there’s an internal belief that Kuminga, even in a condensed role, must shake off some of his built-up resentment and get back to the impact wing from the first couple of weeks, even if the long-term benefit for both sides is more about a bump in trade value than a partnership,” the Warriors insider wrote.
Kuminga is signed through 2027, though next year is a club option. It’s becoming harder and harder to ignore the conclusion the 23-year-old needs a change of scenery.
As Slater underlined, though, the clearest path to Kuminga getting what he wants — both in terms of an on-court role and the value of his next contract — is through excelling in whatever way Kerr is utilizing him. He may not like coming off the bench, but being a premier sixth man on a contender would boost his trade value and likely convince another team he has the tools to be key piece of their squad.