![\"Jonathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2208911090-e1758483706198.jpg\")
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Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a three-point basket against the Houston Rockets in the first quarter at Chase Center on April 06, 2025 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.<\/p>\n
Golden State Warriors<\/a> forward Jonathan Kuminga<\/a>\u00a0finally offered his first public hint about his lingering knee injury after missing six straight games. But his response only deepened the mystery.<\/p>\n Pressed by ESPN\u2019s Anthony Slater<\/a> on Monday about when he might return, Kuminga provided a single-word answer:<\/p>\n \u201cSoon.\u201d<\/p>\n The comment was the extent of his update \u2014 and it came after Kuminga declined multiple times to speak about the injury when approached inside the Warriors locker room. According to Nick Friedell of The Athletic<\/a>, Kuminga refused to answer when told that head coach Steve Kerr himself suggested reporters ask the young forward directly for clarity.<\/p>\n \u201cHe again declined to comment,\u201d Friedell reported, adding that Kuminga is not required to speak, but \u201chis decision not to share an update will only feed into speculation.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerr Sounds Frustrated: \u2018I Have No Idea What He\u2019s Doing\u2019 GettyGolden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga chats with Steve Kerr.<\/p>\n A day before Golden State faced the Utah Jazz<\/a> on Monday, Kerr admitted that even he does not know where Kuminga stands physically.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know where he\u2019s at,\u201d Kerr told reporters<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s got to tell you where he is. \u2026 We did scrimmages. We did live drill work and he barely did any of that. I have no idea what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerr confirmed Kuminga underwent an MRI and that the result came back clean.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing glaring, but it\u2019s bothering him,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cSo it\u2019s day to day.\u201d<\/p>\n Kuminga is expected to miss his seventh straight game on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets<\/a> \u2014 a highly anticipated rematch of last season\u2019s first-round playoff series and the Warriors\u2019 first meeting with former superstar Kevin Durant<\/a>, now in Houston.<\/p>\n Tension Resurfaces Between Kuminga and Kerr<\/p>\n This injury stalemate marks the latest strain in what has become a delicate relationship between the player and coach. Earlier this month, ESPN\u2019s Slater reported Kuminga \u201cfeels like the scapegoat<\/a> again\u201d amid Golden State\u2019s slump and rotation changes.<\/p>\n Kuminga\u2019s turnovers climbed from 2.4 to 3.1 per game before he was dropped to the bench, a move Slater said \u201creopened old wounds\u201d just months after contentious contract negotiations.<\/p>\n Before the injury, Kuminga averaged 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists, showing flashes of growth but also inconsistency.<\/p>\n Trade Clouds: Kuminga Becomes Eligible Jan. 15<\/p>\n Beyond the injury, the timing has fueled speculation. Kuminga recently signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal with a team option, a contractual detail multiple insiders say was included specifically to preserve trade flexibility.<\/p>\n NBA insider Marc Stein<\/a> reported that the Warriors\u2019 aggressive negotiating approach this summer was designed to secure a \u201ctradeable contract.\u201d<\/p>\n One executive told Stein Kuminga is now \u201cone of the best trade chips in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n Several analysts believe a trade is imminent.<\/p>\n Bill Simmons of The Ringer<\/a> predicted:<\/p>\n \u201cJanuary 16, he won\u2019t be on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n CBS Sports\u2019 Brad Botkin<\/a> called the partnership \u201can arranged marriage headed for divorce,\u201d urging both sides to \u201cend the charade.\u201d<\/p>\n Warriors Win Without Him \u2014 But Uncertainty Remains<\/p>\n The Warriors snapped their losing streak on Monday with a 134-117 win over the tanking Jazz, despite missing Kuminga, Draymond Green (midfoot injury), and Al Horford (sciatica). But the temporary relief did little to quiet questions surrounding Kuminga\u2019s status and place in the franchise.<\/p>\n Kuminga answered the question everyone wants to know with a single word. Now, the Warriors \u2014 and the rest of the NBA<\/a> \u2014 wait to see whether \u201csoon\u201d means a return to the court in Golden State\u2026 or a fresh start somewhere else.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Warriors\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a three-point basket against the Houston Rockets in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-309418","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Golden](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1429605192-e1684331909999.jpg\")
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