Steve Kerr isn’t stressing about Jonathan Kuminga’s presence in the locker room. The Warriors coach dismissed concerns that Kuminga could cause issues amid his contract saga, pointing to the leadership of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler as the dominant voices on the team.
“We got a good team,” Kerr said after Wednesday’s practice. “We got powerful leadership in the locker room. I’ve known JK for four years now. He’s not the guy to come in and tear a team down. We’ve got a ton of depth on this team. We’ve got a lot of people who can play. Got a lot of guys ready to step in.”
Kuminga’s standoff with the Warriors was looming over the franchise all summer long and it was causing some tension as the team began pre-season camp. It’s only natural to think that it might cause some lingering issues in the locker room, but Kerr only reaffirmed his trust in the leadership of his core.
“Jimmy instantly changed our team last year,” Kerr added. He’s an alpha, Steph and Draymond are alphas, they run that locker room. I’m not worried about anything.”
Butler’s arrival indeed changed everything for the Warriors. Before he joined, they were fighting just to stay relevant in the West and looked like a team on the brink of collapse. Today, while they’ve yet to match their former glory, the Warriors are in much better shape with ambitions of competing for a title.
With Jimmy, Golden State went 23-8 to end the season and made a run to the Western Semifinals before being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a humbling defeat for the Warriors, but they believe the best is yet to come as their new “big three” continues to develop their chemistry.
Where Kuminga fits into the picture is still somewhat unclear. On paper, he’s the perfect sixth man to play behind Butler and Draymond, to act as a scorer and offensive motor when the veterans sit. In reality, however, Kuminga’s youth and relative inexperience often get him on Steve Kerr’s bad side, resulting in a loss of minutes and stability in his role.
It all culminated in Kuminga’s restricted free agency this summer, with the young star reportedly seeking a contract worth at least $30 million a year with a player option. The Warriors never caved on his demands, and he was forced to settle on a two-year, $48.5 million deal with a team option. That was only after Kuminga missed Butler’s players-only minicamp before the season.
As much as Steve Kerr might say the situation is under control, one has to wonder what it will take for things to turn ugly. They already did once with Jordan Poole and then again with legend Klay Thompson. At this point, a trade seems inevitable but only time will tell how the story ends.
For now, the Warriors might insist everything is fine, but Kuminga’s contract drama hasn’t gone unnoticed. With Butler, Curry, and Draymond in charge, the locker room can play it cool, but if Kuminga continues to feel undervalued, Golden State could find itself right back in the middle of another messy split.
