Jonathan Kuminga and his departure from the Golden State Warriors marks the tip of a growth venture that by no means totally aligned with the franchise’s championship timeline. After greater than 4 seasons with the group, Kuminga was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that introduced Kristaps Porziņģis to Golden State, closing a chapter that head coach Steve Kerr admitted was difficult from the beginning.
Kuminga entered the league with monumental upside after being chosen seventh general within the 2021 NBA Draft following his stint with the NBA G League Ignite. Nonetheless, balancing his long-term growth with Golden State’s win-now mentality proved difficult all through his tenure.
“I feel it was a troublesome state of affairs for everyone, given how uncooked he was when he obtained right here and given we had been nonetheless enjoying for championships,” Kerr mentioned, in response to Slater of ESPN.
“He wanted the runway to make extra errors. He wanted the expertise of being within the NBA and understanding what it was about. For him, it was very robust not being allowed to make these errors. For us as a workers, it was difficult making an attempt to develop him whereas we had been making an attempt to win. I feel it’s so simple as that.”
Regardless of flashes of high-level manufacturing, Kuminga struggled to seek out constant minutes in Golden State’s crowded rotation. Throughout his rookie season, he performed a supporting function within the Warriors’ championship run and delivered a number of robust playoff performances. Nonetheless, sustaining that momentum proved troublesome because the group remained centered on maximizing the remaining prime years of Stephen Curry.
“All people favored him. I favored him. He’s a extremely good man. Very personable. Effectively-liked within the locker room. Only a robust match,” Kerr informed Slater, by way of ESPN.
Kuminga started the 2025-26 season with promise after signing a two-year deal price roughly $48.5 million. He averaged over 17 factors per sport throughout his first 9 begins whereas taking pictures effectively from the sphere and three-point vary. Nonetheless, accidents, inconsistent performances, and lineup adjustments ultimately pushed him out of the rotation, resulting in a commerce request.
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