The inevitable breakup between the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga isn’t expected to be resolved any time soon, causing a nearly untenable situation for both parties entering the 2025-26 season.
Kuminga is expected to re-sign with the Warriors, per multiple insiders, with the expectation that he will be traded before the Feb. deadline. The reason for the short-term deal is simple: teams interested in pursuing Kuminga lack cap space, and those willing to engage Golden State in sign-and-trade scenarios don’t have appealing assets to part with.
As such, the Warriors and Kuminga might have no choice but to endure their, for lack of a better term, loveless marriage.
Kuminga fell out of favor with head coach Steve Kerr during the 2025 playoffs, as he received four DNPs in the first-round series against the Rockets before returning against the Timberwolves to fill the void left by the injured Stephen Curry. After the playoffs, Kerr flat-out admitted that Kuminga doesn’t fit on his team, especially with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, two other non-shooters, in the starting unit.
Kerr’s blunt assessment does not bode well for Kuminga’s chances of cracking the rotation in the 2025-26 season. On the flip side, Golden State may be forced to showcase him to increase his trade value, to flip him for players who do fit their pace-and-space playing style.
The Kuminga distraction threatens to ruin another Warriors season. Last year, he started the season as a starter, only to be relegated to a bench role by just the fourth game. He would briefly win back his starting role only to lose it again when the team traded for Butler.
Kuminga and his camp are reportedly adamant to have him featured prominently in his fifth season, and understandably so, with the belief that the 22-year-old is fed up with being an afterthought. If Kerr continues to bench him, it will only further complicate matters.