The Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga are stuck in what has felt like a never-ending cycle, but that cycle should finally end soon. The forward will be eligible to be traded on Jan. 15, a move that the front office is all but guaranteed to make, as Kuminga's tradable salary gives the team a way to improve the roster.
Kuminga picked up his third consecutive DNP on Sunday in the Warriors' 136-131 loss to the Trail Blazers. As of today (Tuesday), 10 days have passed since he last played in a game.
Steve Kerr said after Kuminga picked up his first DNP of this stretch on Dec. 7 that other bench players complemented Jimmy Butler better. Kuminga had a good attitude when speaking with the media after that game, even shouting out his fellow bench teammates who played. Maybe part of the reason why he was in good spirits, or seemed to be, is that he knows his days in Golden State are numbered.
He wants to go to a team where he has a consistent role and can show that he is the kind of player he believes he can be. That team isn't the Warriors.
Warriors will trade Jonathan Kuminga before the deadline
Golden State's dream scenario is to use Kuminga's $22.5 million salary in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo before the Feb. 5 deadline, but there are a few issues with that. The most obvious one is that Giannis hasn't requested a trade, and per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the Bucks might be buyers at the deadline in hopes of convincing the 31-year-old superstar to stay (again).
If the Warriors did use Kuminga in a deal for Giannis, it would easily make the past few years full of questions about Kuminga's fit and trade rumors well worth it. However, the reality is that Golden State can't put together the best offer for Giannis, so even if he were available, other teams could outbid them.
So, who may be interested in Kuminga? There's the Kings. Sacramento discussed sign-and-trade scenarios involving the forward with Golden State over the summer, but the Warriors weren't moved. The Kings could still be interested in him before the deadline, although they're stuck in the middle of a self-inflicted mess.
Golden State also needs to try to boost its frontcourt before the deadline, so the front office could use Kuminga to do that.
The good thing is that those questions should start to be answered in the coming weeks, as teams decide what they want to do before the deadline. Of all people, Kuminga is ready for an answer so that he can officially end his chapter in the Bay.