The split between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors did not collapse because of one moment. It eroded slowly. And at times, it veered into the kind of pettiness that signals a relationship already past its expiration date.
According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, tensions reached a boiling point during a December meeting between Kuminga and head coach Steve Kerr.
“He knew management wanted to ding him for missing a team-requested event and alert him that someone around him was taking too much food from the family room.”
“The gripes between player and organization, as multiple sources said, had become ‘petty’ in the fifth year of a relationship many believed should’ve ended years before.”
That detail about the family room might sound small. In reality, it reflected something bigger. When disputes shift from rotations and roles to who is grabbing extra catering trays, trust is already fractured.
Kerr and Kuminga never fully aligned on vision. Kerr saw him as an energy wing in the mold of Shawn Marion or Aaron Gordon. Run the floor, defend multiple positions, finish plays and did not require the offense to run through you.
Kuminga, backed by his agent Aaron Turner and others in his camp, believed he had shown enough flashes to earn on-ball opportunities and star-level trust.
The disconnect lingered for years. In ESPN’s reporting, Kuminga often pointed to Kerr as the primary reason his development stalled. Public comments, even subtle ones, were interpreted as digs. After one benching, Kerr said rotation decisions happen to everyone, other than the stars.
Kuminga reportedly bristled at that remark, viewing it as another reminder that he was not seen as part of the core.
Ownership complicated matters. Joe Lacob had been a strong internal supporter of Kuminga dating back to the 2021 draft. There were forks in the road when trades could have happened, including potential deals for Alex Caruso and even involvement in Kevin Durant talks.
By late December, the tension was visible. Kuminga began boxing up belongings at his Bay Area home, anticipating a trade. He continued to show up, cheer teammates, and train, often away from the facility. Sources indicated he felt increasingly unwelcome when working on-ball scoring drills in front of staff who questioned that development path.
The Dec. 10 meeting symbolized the entire saga. Kerr voiced frustration about buy-in and competitiveness toward team goals. Kuminga expressed hurt over what he saw as a long-standing lack of belief. The exchange reportedly ended with Kerr slamming his whiteboard in frustration. Kuminga followed with two highly energetic practices. Harmony, as before, was brief.
Eventually, the Warriors sent him to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis’ expiring contract. It closed one of the strangest five-year chapters in recent franchise history.
