The Golden State Warriors were without their big three of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler in their blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t think the loss will impact their recent hot streak, but a pregame injury update on Jonathan Kuminga led more headlines after the defeat.
Kuminga, a likely trade commodity for Golden State, was reportedly injured in the team’s warmups and didn’t end up playing in the game.
After the loss, Kerr gave a concerning update on the forward in a contest that he was expected to play big minutes in with the rest of the main cast out.
“Just before the game,” Kerr said of when Kuminga’s reported back injury occurred, before then responding to a question about whether the injury could linger. “I don’t know. I have no idea.”
Kuminga has been benched or seen limited playing time under Kerr over the past few weeks, as the trade deadline approaches, and his future with the team continues to be more and more uncertain.
Steve Kerr On Kuminga, Warriors Injury Updates
Kerr remained relatively mum when asked about Kuminga’s pregame injury, and didn’t offer much clarity on whether the team believes it will be a concern going forward. The four-time champion coach has discussed Kuminga at length recently and his unknown future in the organization, but on Friday night, he only dropped those few words on the 23-year-old.
According to Julian Ojeda of ClutchPoints.com, he believes Kerr’s comments, or lackthereof, on Kuminga are even more signals that a trade is near.
“Kuminga’s absence came amid weeks of uncertainty surrounding his role. The former lottery pick has seen his minutes fluctuate this season, and his name has circulated in trade discussions as Golden State evaluates its roster flexibility ahead of the deadline,” he wrote. “Friday’s developments added another layer to that speculation.”
Along with his Kuminga remarks, Kerr gave an update on Curry, Butler, and Green, all of whom missed the Thunder game on the injury report.
“We’ll see with Jimmy, he’s at home sick,” Kerr told reporters postgame. “Draymond definitely will be back and hopefully Steph will be back as well.”
While Curry (ankle) and Green (rest) expect to be back, Al Horford will all but certainly miss the Warriors’ upcoming contest against the Utah Jazz, as it will be the second night of a back-to-back. Butler and Kuminga remain listed as day-to-day on the injury report, while Golden State is still without Seth Curry and L.J. Cryer.
Steve Kerr On Warriors’ Fading Dynasty
At the same time that Kerr dropped his uncertain stance on Kuminga’s injury, the coach has made multiple comments recently about the Warriors’ ticking clock as title contenders in the NBA.
It began on December 27th when Kerr first dropped the ‘fading dynasty’ line.
“You know, we are no longer the ’17 Warriors, dominating the league,” he said, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We are a fading dynasty. We know that. Everybody knows that.”
Additionally, in a recent appearance on the Tom Tolbert Show, Kerr dropped similar remarks about his aging roster, saying that it isn’t realistic for the Warriors to be competing for titles over the next few years with the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
“We know we’re not where we were 5/6 years ago,” Kerr said. “I just don’t want anybody to think that we’re all delusional and thinking we should be competing for titles year in and year out with San Antonio and Oklahoma City the next few years. That’s not realistic.”
It’s obvious that Curry is in the final chapter of his career, and while the Golden State front office has made efforts on top draft picks with the ‘two-timeline‘ strategy, that hasn’t worked out. Perhaps a Kuminga trade could bring in a player that could elevate their floor and give them a chance to win multiple playoff rounds, but for now, with their 18-17 record, Kerr’s ‘fading dynasty’ comments appear to be true.
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