Jonathan Kuminga is the Golden State Warriors‘ biggest domino this offseason. They are expected to extend Kuminga’s $7.9 million qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent.
Where they go from there is as anyone’s guess.
But Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a candid admission that he doesn’t see Kuminga’s role changing anytime soon and hinted that a parting of ways this summer is in the young forward’s mind.
“I think the number one thing is that, JK and I have a very good relationship,” Kerr said on “Willard and Dibs” on 95.7 The Game on Thursday, May 22. “We talk all the time. We like each other. This is all just basketball. This is not a case of JK coming in saying, ‘Hey, I got to get out of here.’ I want this. I want that.
“This is just trying to make this fit and trying to make this work. But every player, every young player, even the older guys, they want to fit in well with what’s happening.
“And so I think there’s got to be part of JK that thinks about going elsewhere.”
Kerr’s recent admission came on the heels of his cold statement that Kuminga no longer fit the Warriors’ timeline despite his talent and potential.
“I’ve been asked to win,” Kerr told The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on “The TK Show” on Wednesday, May 21. “And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say, I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster we have, Steph [Curry], Jimmy [Butler], and Draymond [Green], and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”
Jonathan Kuminga Gets Real on Relationship With Steve Kerr
Getty Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shakes hands with Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga admitted that during the end-of-season press conference that his relationship with the Warriors coach hasn’t always been rosy, but he still credited Kerr for helping him.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve had ups and downs, but he helped me to get here,” Kuminga told reporters. “And we had a lot of great moments. So, I think our relationship has been very good.”
The writing’s on the wall for the 22-year-old Kuminga after his string of DNPs, which began during the Warriors’ regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers.
While Kuminga returned to the Warriors’ rotation in the second round, Kerr only did it because Curry was out with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain. Even in the Warriors’ first-round win over the Houston Rockets, Kuminga only saw action when Butler was unavailable.
Warriors Stars Wish Jonathan Kuminga the Best
Getty Jonathan Kuminga watches Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors do his “Night Night” celebration.
Curry and Green, the Warriors’ longest-tenured players, seemed resigned to their young forward’s fate as they wished him luck.
“That’s tough for any player, let alone a young guy who’s trying to figure it out in the league. So I commend him on just staying ready,” Curry said of Kuminga‘s DNP. “See what he did in the last couple of games. That’s not easy to do to not knowing if your number’s gonna be called, and then go out there and perform.”
In the final four games of the Warriors that Curry missed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, Kuminga averaged 24.3 points on 55.4% overall shooting and 38.9% from the 3-point line.
“So I’m proud of the way that he’s handled it,” Curry said. “The hope is that the future is bright for him, whether it’s here or wherever, and knowing that he’s a guy in this league that can can continue to climb that ladder on his own pace. So I think he’s going through a lot that most people haven’t in four years and he’s seen a lot, so hopefully he’s better because of it.
“Obviously, JK has got the contract situation,” Green said after the Warriors’ season ended in a Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “Always wishing him the best with that. I’ve been in that situation. Whether it’s here or elsewhere, I just wish him the best.”
