After spending nearly five years with the Golden State Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga now appears headed toward a fresh start elsewhere. The young forward formally requested a trade shortly after the Warriors were officially permitted to make roster moves.
Speculation around Kuminga’s future had been building for months, particularly due to reports suggesting tension between him and head coach Steve Kerr. With Kuminga now asking out, attention has once again shifted to Kerr.
Meanwhile, a bombshell report has shed light on the possible origin of the strain between coach and player. According to The Athletic, Kerr had a different preference on draft night back in 2021. Team insiders indicated that Kerr was among those who favored selecting Franz Wagner instead of Kuminga.
“Team sources confirmed that some in the organization, including Kerr, wanted Franz Wagner, but the German big man would go eighth to Orlando in the end,” the report read. “In a push to inject the Warriors’ roster with much-needed athleticism and potential starpower, Kuminga was drafted as part of the foundation of the post-Curry era along with Wiseman.”
Golden State selected Kuminga with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, just one spot ahead of Wagner, who was taken by the Orlando Magic. Now, Kuminga seems ready to turn the page on his Warriors chapter.
Draymond Green Addresses Jonathan Kuminga’s Situation After Knicks Game
Following the Warriors’ matchup against the New York Knicks, veteran forward Draymond Green shared his perspective on Kuminga’s situation and praised how the young star has handled the uncertainty surrounding his future.
“Because he’s not a distraction,” Green said. ‘How he handles it is everything. He handled it a certain way, it becomes a distraction. But it doesn’t have to be. And the way he’s handled himself, the way he’s dealt with things not going his way. says a lot about his character. So everyone around here can confidently say it won’t be a distraction because he’s not a distraction.
“You expect it all to go the way you want it to go, the way you think it should go. And sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. But that doesn’t make him any worse of a player. That doesn’t make this any worse of an organization. Sometimes things just don’t work out. But the way he’s handling himself, the way this organization did reward him, he’s making life-changing money.”
Kuminga opened the season as a starter, but his role shifted dramatically after just 18 games. He was benched for the Warriors’ last 14 games, partly due to injury concerns and Kerr’s coaching decisions.
The 23-year-old has not appeared in a game since December 18 against the Phoenix Suns. Many believe that he may have already played his final game in a Warriors uniform.
