The Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga saga has reached a boiling point as the forward has demanded a trade.<\/b>
\nThe Warriors\u2019 Jonathan Kuminga saga has reached a boiling point.
The 23-year-old forward demanded a trade Thursday, according to ESPN, the first day he\u2019s eligible to be dealt after the restricted free agent signed a two-year, $46.8 million contract with a 2026-27 club option to end rocky negotiations.
That deal did not get reached until the end of September, which hampered the Warriors\u2019 offseason and put Kuminga\u2019s future with the team in question.
Kuminga told people he felt forced into the deal, ESPN reported.
Golden State drafted Kuminga No. 7 overall in 2021 and contributed off the bench during his rookie season, when the team won its fourth NBA championship in eight years.
He broke out during the 2023-24 season, averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Kuminga was limited to 47 games last season due to an ankle injury but averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds.
He then began this season as a starter but got demoted and hasn\u2019t played since Dec. 18. When head coach Steve Kerr was going to reinsert Kuminga on Jan. 2, he was ruled out shortly before the game with a back injury, though questions lingered about whether he was actually hurt.
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have played either,\u201d an anonymous Warriors player told The Athletic. \u201cIt\u2019s clear the coach doesn\u2019t believe in him.\u201d
The Warriors (22-19) sit in eighth place in the Western Conference entering Thursday\u2019s game against the Knicks, though they have won more since Kuminga last played, taking nine of their last 13 games.
Golden State has been relying heavily on an aging core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
Now Kuminga is pushing for a fresh start, and the Lakers and Kings have had interest in him, according to The Athletic.<\/p>\n