On Wednesday, Jonathan Kuminga faced the Golden State Warriors for the first time since they traded him last season.
Kuminga spent the first four and a half seasons of his career with the Warriors before getting traded to the Atlanta Hawks last season. He became a free agent this summer and signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In his first game against the Warriors, Kuminga finished with 20 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. However, the Timberwolves lost 119-114.
Jonathan Kuminga Explains Back-And-Forth With Warriors Bench
Late in the Timberwolves’ loss to the Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga was caught exchanging words with his former team’s bench.
It looked like there was a bit of trash-talking, though Kuminga cleared the air in his postgame media availability.
“I was just talking to one of my good people out there,” Kuminga said. “Just going back and forth with him because he used to be my (player development) coach, and you know, he was one of my brothers. It goes way beyond basketball, so that’s about it.”
The interaction was wholesome, so there’s no animosity between the two sides. Kuminga was all smiles after the game, hugging and shaking hands with his former teammates like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Kuminga didn’t work out in Golden State, but the right things have been said by all parties involved since the trade.
Even head coach Steve Kerr, who had a strained relationship with Kuminga, wished his former player luck with his new team and hoped for the best for him under coach Chris Finch in Minnesota.
Yaxel Lendeborg Getting Better Treatment Than Jonathan Kuminga at Golden State
Five games into his career with the Golden State Warriors, Yaxel Lendeborg is already getting treated better than Jonathan Kuminga during his entire time there.
Lendeborg has flourished under Steve Kerr and has put the league on notice.
A team source told The San Francisco Chronicle why Lendeborg is already trusted more despite being a rookie.
“Because we were trying to win titles,” the source said. “And we should be. If you can win a title, you just win a title. F**k development. I think everyone would’ve expected (Kuminga) to figure it out at some point. Not even figure it out, be more consistent, is probably the best way to put it. But a lot of young guys, it takes a new situation and hearing the same things to be like, ‘Oh.'”
Both parties have officially moved on, but their history will make future Timberwolves-Warriors matchups more interesting.
Jonathan Kuminga Explains Interaction With Warriors Bench Late in Loss