The Golden State Warriors have ruled out Jonathan Kuminga for Tuesday's matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, meaning the young forward may have well played his last game with the franchise.
Tuesday's meeting will be Golden State's last before Thursday's trade deadline, with a major watch still on Kuminga's future after the 23-year-old requested a move once he became eligible to do so on January 15.
Jonathan Kuminga unsurprisingly ruled out of game against 76ers
Kuminga had seen 16-straight DNPs in Steve Kerr's rotation, but the devastating season-ending knee injury to Jimmy Butler reopened a door that had otherwise been firmly shut. Kuminga scored 30 points in 30 minutes across two games against the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks, only to suffer a knee injury in the first-half of that second game.
Tuesday's game will be Kuminga's fifth-straight absence since, with no suprise that the Warriors would leave him out when a trade is still a very real possibility in the next 72 hours.
Golden State is less concerned about Kuminga's trade request right now, and more focused on trying to use the former seventh overall as part of a monumental package to land Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
If the Bucks signal that an Antetokounmpo trade won't happen before the deadline, or if the 2x MVP gets moved elsewhere like the Miami Heat, it will be interesting to see if the Warriors have another deal lined up that ships Kuminga out in his fifth NBA season.
The Sacramento Kings have long maintained a status as the strongest suitor for Kuminga, but their acquisition of former Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter on Saturday night certainly complicates matters. There remains a genuine chance that, barring a blockbuster Antetokounmpo trade, Golden State actually keep Kuminga beyond the deadline and in the wake of Butler's injury.
Already without Butler and Kuminga, the Warrior offense will be even more strained by the absence of 2x MVP Stephen Curry. The 37-year-old left late in the third-quarter of Friday's loss to the Detroit Pistons, and has now also been ruled out from facing the 76ers with his own knee issue.
His brother Seth remains on the sidelines as he recovers from a sciatic injury, while key starter Moses Moody is listed as probable for Tuesday's game with knee soreness. The 76ers will be without veteran forward Paul George who was recently suspended 25 games for violating the league's anti-drug policy.