This is it folks. Fifth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga will almost certainly be traded sometime in the next three weeks, ending a tumultuous tenure in The Bay Area.
The two-year, $47 million contract with a club option he signed this past offseason was designed to allow the Warriors to bring in a high-impact player at the trade deadline should the need arise. The need has arisen, and it is undeniably time for the organization to move on from Kuminga.
There is a world in which this turns out positive for both parties. Golden State could get the piece they need to elevate them into championship contention, and Kuminga could finally get an opportunity to showcase his talent in a different system.
On the other hand, if it ends poorly for the Warriors, it could be the final gasp of a dying era for the franchise: a sign of the repeated failures of the organization in the final seasons of Stephen Curry's career.
No matter how you spin it, Jonathan Kuminga represents a failure on the Warriors' part
Coming off of their unprecedented success in the 2010s, Golden State had a tall task ahead of them. Replenish the roster with talent with limited draft capital while keeping the team competitive enough to honor their stars.
While they came away with a championship in 2022, the infamous "Two Timelines" plan has undeniably failed.
Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski have both developed into valuable rotation players, but no one has emerged who can make the difference in a championship run, let alone be the face of the franchise when the Curry era ends.
Kuminga, as a lottery pick and dynamic scorer, was their best hope to gain this sort of player.
Instead, his tenure with the Warriors has been defined by inconsistent play and benchings. He has lost the trust of the coaching staff on multiple occasions, and for better or for worse, few would argue that he has truly been given the chance to develop his talent.
The question of what Kuminga could have been for Golden State is now a moot point.
There is still success to be had if they are able to win a championship with whatever player is retrieved in the Kuminga deal. Yet there is a painful reality at play here.
If the Warriors fizzle out at the end of the Curry era, the end of Kuminga's tenure will serve as a painful reminder of what could have been on an organizational level. The team has consistently failed to adequately draft and develop young talent around their stars over the past few seasons.
Kuminga and his inevitable departure could eventually be excruciatingly symbolic of this fact.