Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency was a major problem for the Golden State Warriors last year, causing it be the talk of the NBA world as the front office and their young forward stared back at one another in negotiations.
The situation reached such a level that apparently it also became a focus for former President Barack Obama who, in a recent story from Wright Thompson of ESPN, actually approached Steve Kerr about what was going on with Kuminga.
Barack Obama approached Steve Kerr about Jonathan Kuminga situation
Obama is a notably huge NBA fan, but it's still extraordinary that the former president would seek Kerr out to ask about a specific young player, and seemingly the whole two-timeline approach that the 4x championship-winning head coach struggled to embrace.
Kerr arrived and went out onto the deck for cocktail hour overlooking the mountains. Then Obama arrived, security in tow. He made a line for Kerr," Thompson recounted.
"Coach!" he said, and almost before Kerr could respond, he asked, "What's gonna happen with Kuminga?"
Golden State eventually got what they wanted with Kuminga signing a two-year contract with a second-year team option, but instances such as this makes you wonder whether the entire process was worth the drama.
That's particularly the case when you consider what the Warriors eventually traded Kuminga for, having dealt him to the Atlanta Hawks for the expiring contract of an injury-plagued Kristaps Porzingis in February.
If Golden State had managed to move Kuminga in a massive package for Giannis Antetokounmpo, they would have been wholly vindicated for their patience in free agency. Yet ultimately moving their former seventh overall pick for Porzingis felt underwhelming based on everything that had happened during Kuminga's tenure with the franchise.
Steve Kerr's treatment of Jonathan Kuminga was at forefront of situation
There's an ironic aspect to the fact that Obama, of all the people within the Golden State organization he could run into, spoke to Kerr who was at the forefront of the Kuminga situation with his treatment of the young forward.
Kuminga had stretches where he looked like a future star, only to go through a bad period which would inevitably end in his minutes being gradually reduced or even a complete removal from Kerr's rotation.
In fairness to Kerr and the Warriors, some of that inconsistency has followed Kuminga to the Hawks in his first stint out East. There's plenty to play out in the 23-year-old's career, with his time at the Warriors making him a notable player even without completely delivering on his talent to this point.
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