It was January last year where Jonathan Kuminga started to make a considerable leap for the Golden State Warriors, rendering the young forward almost untouchable in trade talks prior to the deadline.
After an uncertain start to this season where his role continued to ebb and flow, history could be repeating itself as Kuminga once again makes a strong push to solidify himself as a long-term piece to the Warriors future.
Jonathan Kuminga is taking himself out of Warriors trade discussion
The 22-year-old continued his excellent form on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers, delivering an efficient 20 points, five rebounds and five assists on 8-of-11 shooting in 25 minutes during Golden State's blowout win.
Kuminga drew significant praise from both Steve Kerr and Draymond Green during the post-game press conference, with the latter reiterating that he has "zero doubts" that the former seventh overall pick will become a superstar in the league.
Kerr stated that Thursday was Kuminga's "fifth-straight great game," having now moved into a consistent sixth-man role where he's playing at least 30 minutes off the bench. Kuminga has led the Warriors in scoring over the last six games, averaging 24.3 points in 31 minutes per game on over 52% shooting from the floor.
It's more than just the scoring that's been impressive from Kuminga over this recent period, having also averaged 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and a steal over the last six games. Just as his future with Golden State was again drawing significant speculation, Kuminga is starting to play his way out of trade discussions.
The Warriors still have a big decision to make, most notably because Kuminga will become a restricted free agent in the offseason where he's likely to command more than $30 million per season.
His recent form will have also increased rival interest around the league, with Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reporting on Friday that "Miami has made it clear that Kuminga is a player they would want to be included in the framework of a potential deal" for All-Star forward Jimmy Butler.
Siegel also reiterated that "the Warriors have not been eager to include him in trade discussions," with that sure to continue if Kuminga continues to play at the level we've seen over recent games, and more importantly if Golden State can find some momentum and string some wins together.
The Warriors are sure to continually be linked with Butler ahead of the February 6 deadline, but Kuminga is doing all he can to ensure he's not part of a deal and that the franchise re-commits to him during the offseason.