3 reasons the Golden State Warriors could deal Jonathan Kuminga for 2023 lottery pick
3. There’s more to the playoff story
He may have been one of the stories of the regular season for a good reason, but Kuminga was equally a major story throughout the postseason for the wrong reason. Having averaged over 20 minutes during the regular season, he was axed from the Warriors’ rotation after Game 3 against the Sacramento Kings in the first-round.
Kuminga wasn’t the only one to be left disappointed and frustrated by Steve Kerr’s decision, with many fans left perplexed by his lack of opportunity. In the aftermath of Golden State’s second-round loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported that Kuminga’s camp would speak with Warriors’ management regarding his future with the franchise.
After Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat, Kerr joined the ‘Draymond Green Show’ and gave a blatant message to Warrior youngsters while heaping praise on Miami’s role players.
"“None of those on Miami are sitting there saying, ‘well I didn’t play’ or ‘man they put in so and so’. They’re just all about winning. You know this from our groups that we’ve had that when you have that championship mentality, every guy is bought in, every guy is just trying to win”, Kerr said."
Many viewed that as a direct dig at Kuminga and Jordan Poole, both of whom saw their opportunities diminished in the playoffs. Maybe privately the relationship between the franchise and Kuminga is worse than what’s being reported, leaving the Warriors with no choice but to find a deal for their young forward.
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That’s unlikely, though it’s a possibility given the mystifying reports surrounding their interest in trading him for a high pick. You’d suggest that Golden State would be better dealing Kuminga for more experienced talent, but perhaps that player simply isn’t available at this point in time. Moving him on for another young prospect of similar or greater value would mean they’d retain their capacity to make a win-now move down the track.