Warriors' rising star now 'off limits' in trade talks after previous uncertainty

After periods of uncertainty regarding his future at the franchise, Jonathan Kuminga's recent emergence has all but made him an untouchable piece for the Golden State Warriors.

Kuminga's explosive and game-high 29 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday signalled his eighth consecutive 20-point game, with the 21-year-old developing into one of the league's rising stars and one of the most unstoppable forces attacking the paint.

Despite being available to rival teams in the past, the Golden State Warriors have made Jonathan Kuminga 'off limits' in trade talks before the deadline

Golden State's handling of the former seventh overall pick has been a controversial topic across his career, but the inconsistent playing opportunity has seemingly dissipated with Kuminga playing at least 28 minutes in nine of his last 11 games, including an average of nearly 40 in his last three.

The 6'7" forward has flourished as a result, having now arguably developed into the Warriors' second-most valuable asset behind Stephen Curry. According to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fisher, Kuminga is now quite rightly off limits in any trade discussion.

"And finally, the emergence of bouncy swingman Jonathan Kuminga in Golden State has certainly made the former lottery pick off limits in any Warriors deal, sources said. "

It's quite the turnaround since the start of last month when a report emerged that Kuminga had "lost faith" in head coach Steve Kerr, with that having come after his benching over the last 18 minutes of a loss to the Denver Nuggets on January 5.

Yet Kuminga's future has been up for discussion far before that point, and largely dates back to the 2023 playoffs where he was benched following a strong end to the regular season.

Fisher reports that Kuminga was available to rival teams prior to the draft and free agency, making note of the Indiana Pacers' previous interest in acquiring the third-year-forward.

With Kuminga no longer available for rival teams, the next question becomes what kind of contract extension he could garner from the franchise come the offseason? If this level of production continues over the remainder of the season, you could foreseeably expect a deal in excess of $100 million.