With confirmation that Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green were all out against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jonathan Kuminga was all set for perhaps his last game as a prominent member of the Golden State Warriors rotation.
Yet instead of potentially playing 25-30 minutes at Chase Center on Friday night, Kuminga himself was a late scratch in a mystery that says everything about his current situation, even if he and the Warriors aren't willing to say it publicly.
Jonathan Kuminga may never play again for the Warriors
After head coach Steve Kerr confirmed the three veterans stars were out and that Kuminga would return to the rotation, the young forward suddenly popped up on the injury report only a few hours from tip-off due to back soreness.
Kuminga was eventually ruled out and sat on the bench as he has done now for 10 of the past 11 games, but very few fans were buying that this was actually an injury-related absence. It's hard to buy given the circumstances, not to mention the idea of getting back soreness after playing just 10 minutes in nearly a month.
There's a legitimate chance that this was a tactical ploy by either the Warriors or Kuminga's camp, causing them to pull the plug in the hours leading up to the game. From the perspective of the franchise, the only thing to be gained was the 23-year-old helping them to victory. While any win is important, it turns out Kuminga wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway given the Warriors suffered a blowout 131-94 loss.
The downside to playing Kuminga is that he gets a legitimate, problematic injury that alters a rival's view on trading for him. That would be a catastrophe for a Golden State team that clearly needs to use Kuminga's contract for a roster upgrade, having fallen back to an 18-17 record on the season after Friday's loss.
It would also be a disaster for Kuminga who has been eager to leave the Warriors and experience a fresh start ever since the offseason. Perhaps then it was he and his camp that pushed the late absence, and honestly who would blame someone for not wanting to put their body on the line for an employer who is going to get rid of them in weeks anyway?
When asked about Kuminga's injury in the post-game, Kerr stated that he was unsure whether it would linger. The Warriors are quite methodically providing little clarity, but as a result we can only presume that Kuminga's time with the franchise is coming to an end, and that neither party wants to upset that by putting him back out on the floor.