The relationship between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors may be officially over after he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, but the fallout has only just begun.
Former Warriors announcer and broadcaster Greg Papa unloaded on head coach Steve Kerr on KNBR and even mused that this should be the end of Kerr's time with the Warriors:
"This whole thing with Jonathan Kuminga is a bad look. This is the worst look for a head coach. It may be time for him to move on."
Ex-Warriors announcer Greg Papa critical of Steve Kerr's handling of Kuminga situation
Papa went on to say he thinks the way the whole Kuminga ordeal was handled will impact Golden State's ability to land free agents and big players going forward.
One can understand Papa's point and acknowledge that Kerr is far from blameless in the whole thing, but the point about free agents still seems a little bit far-fetched.
The relationship with Kuminga seemed doomed from the start. The coaching staff wanted to draft someone else, but owner Joe Lacob was a fan of Kuminga's upside and athleticism. Ultimately, Lacob won out, yet the tension was always there on the way to best way to use Kuminga, and all sides never got on the same page.
Is it a great look that after Kuminga departed some barbs were sent his way by the Warriors in a juicy ESPN report? No. But that one debacle isn't going to turn away Golden State's money and a chance to play alongside Stephen Curry.
Prospective free agents often just care about money and having a chance to win. Golden State has both of those things, although the chance of the latter is a bit more debatable these days than in the past.
Still, Papa may be right that Kerr's time as the head coach of the Warriors is coming to a close, though it won't be because of the Kuminga saga. Kerr's contract is up at the end of the season and there is a chance he might choose to walk away much like general manager Bob Myers in 2023.
Kerr obviously doesn't have anything left to prove with the Warriors. He was part of a dynasty and got to be the head coach of some of the most dominant teams in NBA history. Maybe he's content with that and sees the writing on the wall that the Warriors may not be able to win another title with Curry at the forefront.
If Kerr leaves it will most likely be on his own terms, not because of a Jonathan Kuminga situation that has plenty of blame to go around, making Papa's point slightly hyperbolic.