Just when you thought that things couldn't get worse, reality reminded you that they, in fact, can. On Thursday night, Jonathan Kuminga left the Golden State Warriors' eventual loss to the Mavericks in the second quarter with a knee and ankle injury after going up for a layup and landing awkwardly.
Steve Kerr said after the game that Kuminga would undergo an MRI today (Friday), but the Warriors later said they weren't sure whether he'd need one, delaying that decision until the following day.
Hopefully, first and foremost, for Kuminga's sake, it's nothing serious. He didn't play for almost a month, racking up healthy DNPs, and scored 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench in Tuesday's loss to the Raptors. He only played because Jimmy Butler devastatingly tore his ACL the night before. On Thursday, the forward was in the midst of another solid game, posting 10 points in nine minutes.
Warriors can only hope Jonathan Kuminga injury isn't serious
Golden State's trade deadline plans shifted after Butler's injury. Once the team re-signed Kuminga to a two-year deal in October, everyone knew the goal was to trade him by Feb. 5. He requested a trade last week, on the same day he became trade-eligible.
Once Butler got hurt, it seemed like Kuminga would hang around, although Chris Haynes reported on Thursday that the 23-year-old still has "no desire" to remain with the team. His trade market wasn't strong before he got hurt, and if he misses extended time, the teams that had some interest, like the Kings, should back off entirely from a deal.
The Warriors have waited what feels like forever (probably because it has been forever) to trade Kuminga, and they don't want to lose him for pennies on the dollar. They hoped he'd net them a valuable rotation player, but they've had to lower expectations. The front office could still make a deal happen before the deadline, though, as long as he's in good health.
On Friday, NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that Golden State "will continue to probe the marketplace in hopes of finding a Kuminga trade scenario that makes sense."
Stein even added that the Warriors are expected to explore a Kuminga-Andrew Wiggins swap. However, he also made clear that the team is prepared to keep the forward for the rest of the season (subscription required), a decision that could be made for them if his injury keeps him out.
Golden State didn't need yet another reminder that it should've ended the Kuminga chapter by now, but just in case it did, the front office received one on Thursday.