Jonathan Kuminga delivers one final blow to the Warriors as his departure nears

Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors have finally reached the point of no return.

After years of strained relationships, contract negotiations, and seemingly endless trade rumors, Kuminga has formally requested a trade away from the Warriors, per Anthony Slater and Shams Charania at ESPN.

This comes on the first day he is eligible to be moved this season, making his and the team's intentions crystal clear.

Sometime in the next two weeks, Golden State's Kuminga saga will finally come to an end. The only questions that remain are how it will happen and where Kuminga will ultimately end up.

Jonathan Kuminga's trade demand represents a symbolic end to a controversial Warriors tenure

Obviously, Kuminga will still be a Warrior until the front office can find a team willing to take him in. That is shaping up to be a taller task than it appeared to be this offseason.

Yet, even though it may have seemed like Kuminga's departure was already inevitable, this demand carries a heavier weight around it. Despite how often his and the coaching staff's mutual frustrations have been made public, this is a finalizing move.

There is no intervention from the front office, no appeasing Kuminga with minutes. There is no going back now.

It seemed, at the start of this season, like there might have been hope. Kuminga began the year with a stretch of excellent play, averaging 14.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 53.5% from the field through his first 12 games.

He was then sidelined with knee tendinitis, and quickly after his return, he devolved into many of his old habits. This left him back on the bench and, eventually, with another long string of DNPs.

There are issues with moving Kuminga at the trade deadline in spite of his team-friendly contract. Many of the suitors who showed interest last offseason, including the Phoenix Suns and the Washington Wizards, are no longer in a position to do so. Some of the teams who are in a position to make a deal, such as the Brooklyn Nets, have not shown interest in Kuminga to date.

Until now, there was a world where Kuminga somehow stayed with Golden State through one more trade deadline, for better or for worse.

Kuminga knows he deserves a shot to prove his talent elsewhere, and this final move on his part leaves the Warriors with no choice. It comes as a bitter end to one of the team's more controversial sagas in recent memory.