Steve Kerr's questionable handling of Jonathan Kuminga has certainly been noticed across the NBA, potentially leaving the Golden State Warriors with a new problem when it comes to attractiving rival players.
Despite his stature as a 4x championship-winning coach over the past dozen years, Kerr was voted the fourth-least impressive coach in the league in an anonymous player poll published by The Athletic on Wednesday.
Warriors have new Steve Kerr problem after Jonathan Kuminga trade
Golden State had a disappointing season that saw them finish 10th in the Western Conference and fail to make the playoffs, with injuries decimating their hopes from the moment Jimmy Butler went down with a torn ACL.
But instead of the specific coaching aspect, it's the Kuminga situation that's seemingly seen rival players turn on Kerr as one of the most impressive coaches, to one of the least impressive.
"I think he's a great coach,” one of the players who voted for Kerr said. “I just thought the way he handled the Kuminga situation wasn't very smart."
Kuminga spent nearly five full seasons at the Warriors where he showed flashes of greatness, yet struggled to build consistency as his role in Kerr's rotation flipped on a regular basis. The relationship between the two was a constant source of speculation, eventually ending with Kuminga being traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis at February's deadline.
But even with the Kuminga era having now well and truly come to a close, Golden State could still feel its effects should the out-of-contract Kerr sign a new deal to return as head coach of the franchise.
Warriors may struggle to attract certain players if Steve Kerr returns
While the Warriors still have Stephen Curry as a key bargaining chip to try and lure rival players, the reflection of Kerr in this player poll doesn't say much for his ability to be a factor in attracting certain players.
How many young players would really want to play for Golden State under Kerr following the Kuminga drama? While Brandin Podziemski offers proof of the complete opposite where Kerr has shown complete faith in a young player, why risk joining the Warriors if there's a more certain situation available elsewhere in the league?
There's certainly a specific type of player that fits Kerr's system, and part of contract negotiations have revolved around the Warriors wanting their head coach to be more flexible. Until we see that come to fruition, there's a chance that some players may be turned off from heading to Golden State because of the Kerr-Kuminga situation.
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