Update: Kuminga has now been ruled out of Friday's game himself due to back soreness
After being out of Steve Kerr's rotation for nine of the past 10 games, there was a rising chance that Jonathan Kuminga had played his last game for the Golden State Warriors.
But just as Kuminga's time with the franchise appeared all but over, the young forward will get another opportunity when the Warriors host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center on Friday night.
Jonathan Kuminga will get more playing time with the Warriors
Golden State will be without veteran stars Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, along with guard De'Anthony Melton for the first night of the back-to-back. That means a return to the floor for Kuminga which was confirmed by head coach Steve Kerr earlier on Friday.
Asking the 23-year-old to go out after the recent DNPs and perform against the best team in the league isn't an easy task, but at this point the expectations aren't overly high for the Warriors without their three best players.
Kerr says Kuminga will “for sure” be on the floor tonight because of the absences the Warriors are dealing with.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 2, 2026
Kuminga last played just over two weeks ago on December 18 against the Phoenix Suns, logging a little under 10 minutes off the bench where he recorded two points, four rebounds and an assist on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor.
The former seventh overall pick could suddenly have a prominent offensive role on Friday given the absences of Butler and Curry, having stepped up from outside the rotation once the latter went down during the second-round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves last year.
But while Kuminga's sudden playing time against the Thunder is a development, it's unlikely to change his fate between now and the mid-season trade deadline. One big performance now isn't going to significantly alter his trade value to rival teams, nor should it change Golden State's own stance on Kuminga and whether they should persist beyond the deadline.
As much as the value may not change, it will nevertheless be an interesting game to follow if you're the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls or Dallas Mavericks -- all teams that have been linked to Kuminga recently.
The absolute worst possible result for the Warriors is that Kuminga gets injured, subsequently damaging the chances of a trade once he's eligible to be moved on January 15. That's a major reason as to why keeping him out of the rotation at this point might have actually been beneficial, particularly when his trade value isn't going to drastically change.
Yet as head coach, Kerr is simply trying to win games right now. While they'll go in heavy underdogs on Friday, the Warriors best chance of pulling off an upset win might be to feature Kuminga heavily and in a way that's unusual for a player whose time with the team appears limited.