Getty Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors.
It’s been a rocky few months for the Golden State Warriors and forward Jonathan Kuminga. The 20-year-old reportedly grew frustrated with his lack-of-usage during the playoffs and threatened to request a trade this summer.
Well, he may get just that.
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the Warriors are “exploring the option” of trading Kuminga for a “high draft pick.”
“Sources tell ESPN the Warriors are also exploring the option of acquiring a high draft pick in exchange for a young prospect such as Jonathan Kuminga,” Givony wrote.
Givony’s report is vague, but it’s interesting that the Warriors would once again try and add high-end talent through the NBA Draft, after missing with both James Wiseman, who they dealt to the Detroit Pistons in February, and Kuminga, should they decide to move on from him.
As far as the regular season goes, Kuminga was actually pretty solid for the Dubs.
He appeared in 67 regular-season games for Golden State this year, playing about 20.8 minutes each time. He averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.0% from beyond the arc.
His issue came in the playoffs where he was relegated to playing just 26 total minutes in the series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jonathan Kuminga Threatened Warriors with Trade Request
Again, Kuminga made his frustrations known last month after the Warriors were eliminated from the playoffs.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, Kuminga’s representatives were expected to meet with the organization to discuss his future with the team.
“The Warriors and Kuminga’s representatives are expected to discuss his future this offseason, league sources say,” Slater and Charania wrote on May 12. “Golden State will need to decide whether Kuminga will receive a full-time role moving forward and, if not, league sources say the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft will want to be somewhere he can play more.”
Steve Kerr Discusses Warriors’ Plans for Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga’s coach Steve Kerr, the man in charge of his playing time, discussed the 20-year-old’s frustrations during an “The TK Show,” hosted by The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. Kerr shared that he plans to have a role for Golden State’s No. 00, but he’s going to have to improve first to earn the minutes.
“The minutes are there for him to take at the backup four next year,” he told Kawakami on May 19. “He’s gotta make strides, and he and I talked about it. The No. 1 thing is he’s gotta rebound. If he rebounds and he runs the floor, there’s going to be a lot of opportunity for him… But he’s entering his third year next year, he’s 20 years old, got a great future ahead. He’s just gotta keep on the same path he’s on. But he’s gotta make those strides, like I said, on the glass and running the floor, diving in pick-and-roll. If he does those things, he’s going to play more, and that’s how you continue to grow and build your game.”
Like Kerr said, there truly is time for Kuminga to grow and develop as a player. However, a situation where there’s more room for error may suit him better as he finds his footing in the league.