Steve Kerr's comments blatantly signals expected Golden State Warriors' trade move

After re-inserting Andrew Wiggins into the starting lineup for one game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Steve Kerr quickly went away from the combination of he and Jonathan Kuminga at the two forward positions.

Following a three-point performance against the Raptors, it was no surprise that Wiggins was moved back to the bench in Wednesday's loss against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Steve Kerr's recent comments further suggest only one of Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins will make it past the trade deadline

The Kuminga-Wiggins combination has been a major talking point for the Warriors over recent weeks, with the third-year forward even going to Kerr asking for he and the 2022 All-Star to play together more.

However, the proof is in the pudding. The duo playing together has only caused Golden State problems this season, and that was further showcased in their opportunity against the Raptors. Before Wednesday's game against the Pelicans, the Warriors held a -20.6 net rating in 146 minutes when Wiggins and Kuminga shared the floor, leaving Kerr with little other choice but to basically shelve the idea.

The duo did play together in the fourth-quarter of the Pelicans loss, yet only after the visitors had extended their lead past an embarrassing 30 points. Speaking earlier in the week, Kerr spoke about the Kuminga-Wiggins combination and it's impracticality that will only be impacted further by the imminent return of veteran forward Draymond Green.

"...It’s tough when you’re where we are in 11th place in the west, I think. It’s tough to continue to experiment with things that really aren’t proving to be very successful. So, it still could happen but to be perfectly honest, I’m less inclined to do it now."

- Steve Kerr

If Kuminga and Wiggins simply cannot play together -- which is proven in the stats -- then there's no answer but to move one of them before the February 8 trade deadline. Kuminga deserves to play 25+ minutes on most nights, and the Warriors would be better off moving him if they can't commit to that.

You also can't continue to have Wiggins as an 18-20 minute per game bench player, not when he's only just entered the first of a four-year contract worth in excess of $100 million. Something has to give in the form of a trade.

Finding a suitor for Wiggins is the next step -- a not so easy task given he's scored just 11 points combined in the last three games. If not, then perhaps Kuminga has to be sacrificed in order for much needed change to occur.