The Golden State Warriors were always going to find it difficult to balance their winning ambitions while propelling Jonathan Kuminga's trade value. They managed to effectively do it through the first week or two of the season, but they now face a problem that they should have seen coming from the moment they signed the young forward to a two-year, $48 million contract in free agency.
After earning a starting role through the first 12 games of the season, Kuminga is now back in a bench role and playing limited minutes. That's going to significantly harm the sort of value the Warriors could see in a trade return prior to the mid-season deadline, particularly if the 23-year-old and his camp voice thier discontent as was the case after Tuesday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jonathan Kuminga's trade value could plummet before he's eligible to be moved
Kuminga was part of Golden State's sensational fightback in the third-quarter on Tuesday, finishing as a +3 in a game they ultimately lost by 12. However, he also shot just 3-of-10 from the floor and had a number of iffy choices from a shot-selection standpoint.
It's likely for that reason that Steve Kerr benched Kuminga for the entire fourth-quarter, with that coming despite the Warriors playing without both veteran stars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, the latter of whom wasn't available in the second-half.
Kerr's questionable decision prompted a quick response from Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, who made a name for himself in the offseason by doing the media rounds amid stalled contract negotiations.
What are we doing out here 🤦🏻.
— Aaron Turner (@arockturner20) December 3, 2025
Kuminga's minutes going down is one thing when it comes to his trade value, but having his agent publicly displaying frustration is the worst possible result for the front office. Golden State's leverage in trade negotiations will plummet significantly if there's a very obvious desire to depart the franchise as soon as possible.
The issue is that the Warriors can't pull the plug before things potentially get worse either. Kuminga isn't trade eligible until January 15, with another 20 games between now and then. That's plenty of time for the situation to only get more problematic, or conversely (but unlikely) for Kuminga to earn back a consistent role and make it difficult for Golden State to trade him.
Kuminga's play and subsequent value will be fascinating over the next six weeks, but it also comes within the backdrop of a .500 season so far that requires the Warriors to really get going and find momentum.