Coming into this season, the fate of Jonathan Kuminga was a key storyline to watch for the Golden State Warriors. After he was recently benched by head coach Steve Kerr, it seems the franchise now has a clear decision when it comes to their young forward.
The Warriors have had a roller coaster start to the season and the same can be said for Kuminga. He began the season looking very strong, earning a place in the starting lineup and looking like a player who would belong, mesh and contribute to the opening unit.
Warriors have increasingly obvious Jonathan Kuminga trade decision
However, as Kuminga started to struggle, so too did the Warriors begin to look worse and worse. Part of this had to do with Stephen Curry missing some games due to illness, but Kuminga's poor play was difficult to ignore.
After the Warriors got destroyed by the Oklahoma City Thunder, comments by veteran players Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler were interpreted by some as a subtle swipe at Kuminga.
Seemingly as a response, Kerr benched Kuminga in the first of back-to-back games against the San Antonio Spurs and Kuminga was unable to go in the second game against the Spurs due to knee issues.
The Warriors looked like a vintage version of themselves in those games. Sure, a big part of that had to do with Curry putting up 45+ points in each game, yet the explosive performances of the 2x MVP might have also had to do with the lineups that were out there with him.
There was a debate over this between Bay Area sports reporter Tim Kawamkami and Kuminga's agent Aaron Turner. There are points to be made on both sides, but Kawakami's debate is that in big games that matter the most, Kerr's decision to ice out Kuminga speaks volumes.
Green defended Kuminga recently and said that too much is made over whether a guy starts or comes off the bench which may be true, but it is worth noting that Kuminga played just 12 minutes in the first-half last time out. Part of that may have had to do with the knee issue, yet we have a history of Kerr and the Warriors feeling they are stronger without him as part of the rotation.
If it's true that Golden State have reached that conclusion, then it seems obvious that they need to trade Kuminga soon after he becomes eligible on January 15. The 23-year-old can be a great player under the right circumstances, but if he cannot consistently help the Warriors at the end of Curry's tenure with the team, then it's time to move on to someone that can.