The Golden State Warriors have reinvented themselves since the addition of Jimmy Butler ahead of the NBA trade deadline, but the franchise’s course correction is likely to lead to a significant change or two this summer.
Case in point, head coach Steve Kerr benched Jonathan Kuminga in the team’s final game of the season against the Los Angeles Clippers. It was also the most important game of the year to date, as the loss determined Golden State’s spot in the play-in tournament as the No. 7 seed, while the Clippers captured the fifth seed and earned an automatic bid into the first round.
Kerr decided to keep Kuminga benched again in the Dubs’ play-in victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on Tuesday. The hyper-athletic forward and former No. 7 overall pick has been at odds with the coaching staff before. Now, after the Warriors have all but cast him aside as they reformulate their lineups heading into the playoffs, team insiders are predicting that Kuminga will play elsewhere in 2025-26.
“The likely situation is [Jonathan Kuminga is] not going to be on the Warriors next season,” Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard told 95.7 The Game on Thursday, April 17. “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.”
Jonathan Kuminga Saw Numbers Dip After Battling Injury All Season
Kuminga is playing on the final year of his $25 million rookie contract and will hit restricted free agency this summer.
Golden State could have extended Kuminga last summer and had until October 21, 2024, to do so. But, despite months of negotiations, the two sides could never agree to terms.
Kuminga’s value on the open market has no doubt taken a hit given Kerr’s prioritizing of players like Moses Moody and Gary Payton II in the rotation over Kuminga, who started 46 of the 74 games he played last season. Kuminga battled injury issues this year and appeared in just 47 games, starting only 10 of those.
The forward — who doesn’t shoot particularly well from the mid-range or from behind the 3-point line, which is part of the issue with his playing time — took small steps back in minutes played (24.3), points per game (15.1) and rebounds per game (4.6) this season as compared to the last.
Steve Kerr Gave Blunt Explanation on Decision to Bench Jonathan Kuminga
Kerr hasn’t been unfeeling during the situation with Kuminga. However, he recently acknowledged the tough realities of the team’s new circumstances with Butler in the lineup.
“I think what happened here is pretty obvious. I’ve talked about it. Jimmy Butler came in,” Kerr said during an interview with 95.7 The Game on Thursday. “When [Kuminga] was out, we traded for Jimmy, and they play the same position. Our whole team changed. We became an [isolation] team with Jimmy — movement with Steph [Curry] and [isolation] with Jimmy. Jimmy is one of the best players in the league, so it’s not as simple as just saying, ‘Oh okay, we’ll just play them together.’ Basketball doesn’t work that way.”
Kerr continued his explanation.
“The puzzle has to fit. We found a really good formula when [Kuminga] was injured and we got Jimmy. I think we went 18-2 or something right away,” Kerr added. “So we found lineup combinations that have clicked, and we’re winning and we have to stick with that. It’s brutal for [Kuminga], it really is. He’s a young player, he wants to play, and he’s absolutely talented enough to play. He still may be a part of the equation in this series and maybe the next series after that. So we just have to keep plugging away and keep moving forward, and he’s doing a good job of that. And I definitely feel for him.”
