Warriors at tipping point no NBA team wants to be in with Jonathan Kuminga

The Golden State Warriors are at a tipping point with Jonathan Kuminga. If anything they're actually over that point, with the wide-held expectation that the young forward will be dealt sometime between the day he becomes trade eligible on January 15 and the February mid-season deadline.

Still, this is a position no team wants to find themselves in with any player this far out from the deadline. At the same time, it's also hard to have too much sympathy for the Warriors given this was almost an inevitable scenario from the moment they finally signed Kuminga to a new contract after a long free agency standoff in the offseason.

Warriors reach unfortunate situation with Jonathan Kuminga

Speculation over his future has only heightened after the 23-year-old was a complete DNP against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, with head coach Steve Kerr asked about the constant trade rumors and discussion surrounding Kuminga's role and spot on the team.

"I can imagine it's not easy for him. We've talked about the situation. My desire for JK is for him to become the best player he can be, regardless of where he ends up, whether its here or elsewhere," Kerr said. "None of us know what's going to happen with JK or with pretty much any of our guys, although I'd advise Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) not to trade Steph (Curry)."

The fact Kerr has to talk this early about Kuminga's future -- five weeks before he even becomes trade eligible -- is clearly a less than ideal scenario as Golden State manages an underwhelming 13-12 start to the season.

While Kerr isn't wrong when it comes to the possibility of everyone outside Stephen Curry being potentially movable in a trade, mentioning the idea of Kuminga becoming the best player he can be 'elsewhere' clearly doesn't say much about his future with the Warriors.

Kuminga and Golden State will now have to face constant speculation about what could happen before the mid-season deadline, much like the Milwaukee Bucks will experience with Giannis Antetokounmpo, albeit in a much different scenario.

In fairness to Kuminga, he's handling it reasonably well which included a rather diplomatic response to questions from ESPN's Anthony Slater after Sunday's DNP. He also practiced strongly on Wednesday according to Kerr, though the chances of a return to the rotation appear slim given the dominant team performance without him on Sunday, along with the imminent return of veteran stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green from injury.