Warriors rumors: Jonathan Kuminga will leave Steph Curry and Co. next year, says NBA insider
The Golden State Warriors sealed their playoff fate via the play-in tournament and secured the seventh seed with a 121-116 win over the Grizzlies. However, despite entering the playoff picture, murmurs of a postseason shake-up involving Jonathan Kuminga have started to brew.
According to reports from NBA insider Tim Kawakami, Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly set to leave Steph Curry and Co. next year. The San Francisco Standard journalist gave his stance on the 22-year-old's future, on the Bay Area's 95.7 radio station.
Speaking to the hosts Willard & Dibs, the reporter gave his insight on Kuminga's Warriors future, revealing that there were rumors of him leaving:
"The likely situation is [Jonathan Kuminga]'s not going to be on the Warriors next season. Things can change, but all things being equal, it was probably going to be a tricky situation for him to come back to the Warriors anyway...I don't know that he's going to be galloping to sign a new deal with the Warriors given all this."
Kuminga was drafted by the Golden State Warriors during the 2021 NBA draft as the seventh overall pick and won the NBA championship in his first full season.
The forward has made incremental growth every season since then and had a successful outing last term, playing 74 games and averaging 16.1 points per game.
However, his output this year has been questionable. Starting 10 games and making a measly 47 appearances, Kuminga has fallen down the pecking order in the Bay Area. The arrival of Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield has further dwindled his chances of making it in the starting five.
With his four-year contract ending at the end of the season, the Warriors will likely re-sign him due to his restricted free agency clause and look to offload him during the offseason.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr opens up on Kuminga's absence from team since Jimmy Butler's arrival
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed his views on Jonathan Kuminga's depleted minutes for the Warriors during a post-match interview. The former Chicago Bulls star opened up on the topic after his side's loss to the Clippers on Sunday, during which Kuminga played a total of zero minutes.
Explaining how the Warriors had found a good starting core after the arrival of Jimmy Butler, Kerr gave his take on the Congolese's absence:
"We've just found a group since Jimmy got here that we're pretty comfortable with ... both [Gui Santos] and JK have been really impactful players for us. It doesn't mean they're out of the loop going forward, this is just how this game played out," he expressed.
The loss to the Clippers confirmed the Warriors' spot in the play-in tournament. Although they won against the Grizzlies, Kuminga didn't play at all, failing to log a single minute on the court.