Well, that was fun while it lasted. The Warriors, after supposedly being impressed with the approach and attitude of erstwhile starter Jonathan Kuminga following his removal from the rotation in the past two weeks, finally gave Kuminga back some minutes on Thursday night in the team’s loss to the Suns.
It was hardly a triumphant return, as he scored two points on 1-for-5 shooting in just 9:31 played. And we won’t get to see what kind of follow-up there is to the story for Kuminga, because the team announced he is a late scratch for Saturday’s rematch against Phoenix in San Francisco.
As the Warriors beat writer Anthony Slater of ESPN noted on Twitter/X: “Jonathan Kuminga is out tonight against the Suns due to an illness. Warriors already ruled out Al Horford and Seth Curry.”
Jonathan Kuminga Situation Overloaded
Perhaps everything with Kuminga is so overloaded with hidden meanings and innuendo at this point, thanks to a standoff on a new contract between him and the Warriors this summer and his never-ending inability to find a role on this team, that even a minor illness feels more significant than it should.
But it certainly does not feel like an accident that Kuminga was talked up for more playing time, played less than 10 minutes in a loss, and suddenly is ill. Again, there’s nothing to say Kuminga is not actually ill. The gamesmanship between Kuminga and an organization eager to trade him elsewhere, though, has been pretty consistent in recent months, and even longer.
Kuminga signed a two-year, $47 million contract (with a team option on Year 2) on the eve of the season, ending his restricted free agency.
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty ImagesSteve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
Warriors’ Steve Kerr: Kuminga ‘Was Good’
Still, Warriors coach Steve Kerr did have some positive feedback on Kuminga after the first Suns game.
“He was good,” Kerr said of Kuminga. “We wanted him to get out there and use his speed and athleticism, set screens, dives. He had a good pass to Gui (Santos) in the first half from the pocket, and it’s good to see back out there. He’s handled himself really well this last week, and I wanted to reward that.”
And Kuminga, for his part, said it felt natural to be back on the floor with the only team he has known since he was drafted into the NBA. It might not be his team very long–he is eligible to be traded on January 15–but Kuminga insisted he is not focused on trade talk.
“I don’t look at that,” Kuminga said via The Athletic. “I think when it comes, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I don’t put my mind focusing on that. Because it’s gonna take me out of (the present) so I don’t even think about stuff like that. I just focus on how I’mma get on that floor, when I get on that floor, what am I going to do to help us win and stuff like that? That’s actually what’s been on my mind … just go out there and compete and find a way.”
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