The Warriors managed to finally offload Jonathan Kuminga in a trade with the Hawks that landed Kristaps Porzingis in Golden State after a few months of constant turmoil in the young forward’s NBA career.
Steve Kerr spoke to ESPN after the trade was finally executed and gave his honest opinion on Kuminga’s tenure with the Warriors. Kerr was initially oscillating between saying Kuminga is crucial to the team and that he is non-essential to the roster, just like anyone except Stephen Curry.
“I think it was a tough situation for everybody, given how raw he was when he got here and given we were still playing for championships. He needed the runway to make more mistakes,” said Kerr to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
“He needed the experience of being in the NBA and understanding what it was about. For him, it was very tough not being allowed to make those mistakes. For us as a staff, it was tricky trying to develop him while we were trying to win.”
“I think 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.”
Kuminga lost his footing with the team ever since they traded for Jimmy Butler. Ever since then, he fell from being a regular starter to a role player coming off the bench to eventually falling out of the minutes rotation altogether.
This season, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field and 32.1% from beyond the three-point line.
The Warriors have added an injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis to their roster after this trade. They need a rim-protecting center who can stretch the floor as well, and Al Horford is too old to consistently start and give them that on a nightly basis.
According to Anthony Slater, ESPN’s insider for the Warriors, the team is expecting Porzingis to be available as soon as Saturday when they face the Lakers.
“They struck out on Giannis. As I mentioned, the mood is light, Steph was joking and saying he was going to turn on the show. But they went with a small swing, and I think it was a silent admission that the championship hopes are not necessarily there.”
“They didn’t get Giannis, but Porzingis is a guy they targeted since his Boston days as a stretch big who can protect the rim beside Draymond Green. They think that can help. He might be healthy as early as Saturday. They heard he’s basically cleared to play,” confirmed Slater.
“So they’re kind of going to make a go for it to a small degree this year, and they held their draft ammo for the summer. We’ll see if they get back in the Giannis sweepstakes or do something bigger.”
“Then the other part of it is that it’s finally an admission of the Jonathan Kuminga organizational failure. They didn’t develop him, they weren’t able to cultivate the relationship enough, they weren’t able to maximize him, and ultimately had to basically give away another lottery pick that didn’t get much back.”
Before being sidelined due to his illness and Achilles tendinitis issues, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 45.7% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc.
The former NBA champion Porzingis was struggling to find his place in Atlanta, who seem to be rebuilding around Jalen Johnson. He has now joined an organization that is much more aligned with his personal objectives as well.
We don’t know for certain if the Warriors will extend him or re-enter the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes in the summer, but certainly it will be interesting to see how a healthy Porzingis fits on the team, alongside Stephen Curry.
