After a lengthy and dramatic saga, the Golden State Warriors have finally traded Jonathan Kuminga. While it wasn’t for their top target in Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Warriors landed Kristaps Porzingis in a deal that sent Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks.
Kuminga’s tenure in Golden State, especially over the past few months, was rocky to say the least. He and Steve Kerr reportedly butted heads, and the head coach left the 23-year-old out of the lineup for more than a month this season. But now, it’s all over, and both sides can move forward.
In a statement given to ESPN, Kerr discussed his thoughts on Kuminga now that he’s gone from Golden State.
Full quote
“I think it was a very tough situation for everybody, given how raw he was when he got here and given we were still playing for championships,” Kerr said, per Anthony Slater. “He needed the runway to make more mistakes. He needed the experience of being in the NBA and understanding what it was about.”
Steve Kerr On Jonathan Kuminga Trade
In his four and a half years with the Warriors, Kuminga averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 50.3% shooting in 278 total games with 97 starts. He was apart of their 2022 championship-winning team, but never became a full-time starter. He had a strong start to this season, but was subsequently benched for what Kerr described as not fitting in their lineup well.
Kuminga did return to action for Golden State once Jimmy Butler went down with an ACL injury, but he played in just 30 total minutes before suffering a bone bruise. The documented relationship between the player and coach always seemed tumultuous, and while there was already an expectation that Kuminga would be moved at the deadline, that came to a head when he publicly demanded for a trade, as reported by Slater and Shams Charania.
“For him, it was very tough not being allowed to make those mistakes,” Kerr continued in his statement. “For us as a staff, it was tricky to develop him while we were trying to win. It’s as simple as that. Everybody liked him. I liked him. He’s a really good guy. Very personable. Well-liked in the locker room. Just a tough fit.”
As appears to be the case with Kuminga, Golden State doesn’t have a strong recent history of developing their top draft picks, or keeping them around long enough for them to turn into bona fide stars. Take James Wiseman, Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin, and now Kuminga, for example.
But now, he’s out, headed to Atlanta, where he’ll likely have the chance to make more mistakes and grow into the 3-and-D forward that the Warriors always planned for him to be.
Warriors Trade Deadline Deals
As mentioned, Golden State traded Kuminga and Hield to the Hawks for Porzingis. There were recent rumblings that the team had talks about trading for Jaren Jackson Jr., but instead pivoted to Antetokounmpo, in which they failed, and found a deal for Porzingis instead.
Kuminga would have been a part of any trade deadline move made by the Warriors, whether it be for any of those three players. However, as the Bucks weren’t interested in what Golden State had to offer, he now is off to Altanta with Hield.
In exchange, the Warriors get back an injured Porzingis, who has bounced around the league, but previously won a title with the Boston Celtics. This season, the Latvian big man is averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 45.7% shooting. While he’s still out with an illness he’s been dealing with for the past few years, Porzingis is expected to return soon and offer up some much-needed rim-protection for Golden State.
In addition to moving Kuminga, the Warriors made another trade deadline deal that sent center Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a 2026 second-round pick that will come via the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson-Davis was never consistently in the rotation for Golden State, and like Kuminga, he will likely get the chance at more playing time on his new team.
While Golden State was previously favored to land Antetokounmpo, that never came to fruition. Instead, they made two other deals in hopes of both putting a stronger roster around franchise star Stephen Curry, and potentially, putting them in a better position to make a bigger move in the near future.
But now, the Warriors-Kuminga drama is finally over.
Steve Kerr Sounds Off On Warriors Finally Trading Jonathan Kuminga