The Golden State Warriors need Jonathan Kuminga to break out as a future star this season, or else he might find himself on the trade block for a player who can be a legitimate co-star for Stephen Curry. Amidst a rough stretch of games where Kuminga is fighting for a consistent role in the rotation, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr bluntly called out what he needs to improve.
“I’m not going to stop coaching (him). The last two games, his field goal attempts, his decision making has been poor. That needs to improve.”
Steve Kerr on Jonathan Kuminga: “I’m not going to stop coaching (him). The last two games, his field goal attempts, his decision making has been poor. That needs to improve.” pic.twitter.com/wPYaBPEkn9
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 24, 2024
Kuminga has averaged 11.0 points (21.7 FG%), 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists over the last two games as the Warriors fell to an embarrassing loss to the Memphis Grizzlies before rebounding with a strong win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team requires more consistency from him to use him as a featured piece, otherwise, they have little reason to give him the max extension he reportedly wants.
He’s averaging 15.1 points (43.6 FG%), 4.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on the season.
The team has held off on trading him so far, even refusing to include him in the Dennis Schroder deal to land Cam Johnson as a featured scorer. The Warriors clearly value him but not high enough for him to get away with stretches of bad games given how thin the margins for the franchise have been this season.
Jonathan Kuminga On the Way Out?
He’s actively being brought up in trades this season, and it seems like the Warriors can’t ignore the potential value he can bring in a trade with his on-court upside. Even if he’s struggled to thrive in Golden State, a team that acquires him and tries to make him a featured piece could finally unlock that next level for Kuminga, who’s played his entire career as a rotational role-player due to the Warriors win-now situation.
Many fans believe he was foreshadowing a Warriors exit with an Instagram post, so it’ll be fascinating to see how his relationship with the Warriors changes from now until the trade deadline.
Golden State knows the upside they control with Kuminga’s skill set, so if he gets moved, it’ll be for a genuine star like Jimmy Butler or someone else. The team has depth already, so a Kuminga move will be required to facilitate a major acquisition rather than breaking him up into two worse rotational players and a pick.
There aren’t many elite options for the Warriors to go after if Butler isn’t moved. They might have to consider a potential Brandon Ingram trade, but the team might not be happy about that given Ingram’s status as a free agent himself.
The options are narrowing for the Warriors, so they’re going to have to get creative if they want to move Kuminga for a star-level player. Trading him for anything less seems wasteful, so Steve Kerr might have the right idea to try and motivate him into playing better because everyone’s ideal outcome would be Kuminga taking a leap on the Warriors this season itself.
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