Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr finally offered a clearer explanation of forward Jonathan Kuminga’s lingering knee injury after days of uncertainty and silence from the team and player.
Kerr revealed to reporters that Kuminga will miss his seventh straight game on Wednesday when the Warriors face the Houston Rockets due to bilateral patellar tendinitis — inflammation in both knees that has kept him out nearly two weeks.
Warriors Confirm ‘3-on-3, 5-on-5’ Progression Before Return
According to Nick Friedell of The Athletic, Kuminga has begun limited basketball activity and could soon move into full-contact work.
“Kerr said Kuminga was able to get some 3-on-3 work in before practice. The plan is for him to get some 5-on-5 work in tomorrow before the game,” Friedell reported on X. “Kuminga will talk to the training staff after that and they will see how he feels.”
Kerr previously stated that the former lottery pick underwent an MRI, which came back clean, but confirmed the tendon pain is slowing his return.
“There’s nothing glaring, but it’s bothering him,” Kerr said. “So it’s day to day.”
Kuminga’s Silence Fuels Mystery and Speculation
GettyDraymond Green(left) speaks to Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors on the bench.
The diagnosis comes after two days of tension between the player and the organization. On Monday, Kuminga refused to speak about his knee when approached multiple times in the locker room, even after being told that Kerr encouraged the media to ask him directly for clarity.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported the only answer he received when asking when Kuminga might return was a single word:
“Soon.”
The brief response — and repeated refusals to elaborate — only heightened speculation surrounding the timing of the injury. As Friedell wrote, Kuminga’s silence “will only feed into the speculation about his lingering status.”
Warriors Frustration Surfaces After Demotion, MRI Timeline
Kerr’s public frustration came two days earlier, when he revealed that Kuminga participated minimally in live drills despite being labeled “day to day.”
“I don’t know where he’s at,” Kerr said. “He’s got to tell you where he is… We did scrimmages and live drill work, and he barely did any of that. I have no idea what he’s doing.”
The tension arrived shortly after Kuminga was moved to the bench amid the team’s recent slump, a decision that reportedly opened “old wounds.”
Earlier this month, Slater reported that Kuminga “feels like the scapegoat again” after his turnovers increased and his playing time was reduced.
Trade Speculation Intensifies as Deadline Nears
Kuminga is averaging 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists this season, but his newly signed contract has become as talked-about as his on-court performance.
The Warriors gave him a two-year, $48.5 million deal with a team option, a structure league insiders say was deliberately crafted to maintain value for a potential trade.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported Golden State viewed the contract as a “tradeable asset.”
One Western Conference executive told Stein that Kuminga is now “one of the best trade chips in the league.”
Multiple analysts believe a deal is inevitable. Bill Simmons of The Ringer predicted:
“January 16, he won’t be on the team.”
CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin wrote the partnership looks like “an arranged marriage headed for divorce.”
Warriors Still Winning — But Questions Linger
Golden State has gone 3–3 during Kuminga’s absence and briefly stopped its skid with a 134–117 win over Utah on Monday. Yet the cloud surrounding Kuminga has less to do with the Warriors’ record and more with how his role, development and communication continue to collide with Kerr’s expectations.
For the second time in 10 months, what should be a straightforward health update has turned into a public disconnect between coach and player. Just months after tense contract negotiations and complaints about benching “reopening old wounds,” Kuminga’s refusal to speak — followed by Kerr publicly expressing confusion — has fueled renewed questions about trust.
Kerr has repeatedly insisted the Warriors need Kuminga’s growth, but his latest comments made clear that communication must improve, not just conditioning.
This is the same coach who has benched Kuminga in playoff minutes, pushed him to earn time through defensive discipline and insisted that young players “embrace roles, not chase stardom.” And it is the same young forward who has previously felt “singled out,” according to ESPN, and is widely seen as the franchise’s best trade chip as the Feb. 5 trade deadline looms.
So while Kuminga says only “soon” when asked about returning, the real question may not be when he is healthy — but whether he and Kerr still see a shared path forward.
Whether Kuminga’s next game comes “soon,” as he promises, or somewhere else entirely, the Warriors’ most pressing issue may not be his knees but a relationship that continues to wobble.
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