Jonathan Kuminga has dropped out of the Warriors‘ rotation again, and sources tell Anthony Slater of ESPN that the team plans to explore trade offers in the upcoming weeks.
Kuminga didn’t get off the bench in Sunday night’s win at Chicago, even though Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford were all unavailable. That came one night after Kuminga shot 1-of-10 in 22 minutes at Cleveland, with coach Steve Kerr choosing to play Gui Santos ahead of him in the fourth quarter of a tight game. Green was seen talking to Kuminga late in that contest in an effort to calm him down, Slater adds.
“Happens to everybody pretty much, other than the stars,” Kerr responded when asked about not playing Kuminga. “Guys come in and out of the rotation, depending on who’s available, how the team is playing.”
Kuminga’s five seasons with Golden State have featured an ongoing drama about his playing time and his fit with the team. He’s coming off a summer-long contract battle as a restricted free agent where he didn’t receive any offers from rival teams and the Warriors quickly abandoned any intentions for a sign-and-trade deal.
The standoff extended into the start of training camp before Kuminga accepted a two-year, $46.8MM contract with a team option for the second season. Kuminga and his agent spoke out against the team option during negotiations, but sources tell Slater that Kuminga felt forced into accepting the offer. They also say the months of talks “generated bitter feelings on both sides.”
Kuminga appeared to have moved past the contract distractions as he opened the season as the team’s starting power forward and helped the Warriors win four of their first five games. Kerr declared him to be an entrenched starter, but things changed quickly. The team stopped winning, and Kuminga was removed from the starting lineup after 13 games. Knee tendinitis forced him to miss the next seven games, and he hasn’t shot well since returning, going just 12-of-40 from the field.
Kuminga said he talked to Kerr before Sunday’s game and was told the team is moving in a different direction.
“I’m not really sure (how long it lasts),” Kuminga said. “But as long as things are working out there and we winning, I don’t see the point of switching anything, changing. Whenever my number get called, I’ll be ready.”
Because of the circumstances of his contract, Kuminga is among a small group of players who aren’t eligible to be traded until January 15. Kuminga fits into that group because he re-signed with his previous team, he got a raise exceeding 20%, his salary is worth more than the minimum, and his team was over the cap, using Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.
League sources tell Slater that the probability of Kuminga being moved before the February 5 trade deadline is strong. The Suns and Kings both expressed interest in sign-and-trade deals over the summer, but both teams’ circumstances have changed since then.
Slater notes that Kuminga’s situation is unlikely to improve before the deadline. After picking up a pair of much-needed road wins over the weekend, Golden State will have four days off before hosting Minnesota on Friday. That will give Curry and Green time to recover from their injuries, leaving fewer opportunities for Kuminga.
“I don’t have any problems,” Kuminga said. “I’m going to work out every day, stay ready, because you never know how these things works. I believe in my game and feel good about my game. I just got to be a professional. Things happen. It’s happened before.”