There’s no doubt that the Golden State Warriors will trade Jonathan Kuminga at the upcoming 2025–26 NBA trade deadline, as all the signs of him being shipped out are there—and they’re becoming painfully obvious.
Kuminga’s Relationship with Head Coach Steve Kerr
The former seventh overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft has openly expressed his disappointment with Warriors coach Steve Kerr. In fact, back in 2024, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Kuminga “had lost faith” in Kerr.
That bit of honesty seemed to have worked at the time, as the forward from the Democratic Republic of the Congo got some playing time, although he continued to be in and out of the lineup.
Curiously, in his end-of-season interview after the Warriors were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the NBA playoffs back in May 2025, Kuminga said that his relationship with the former Chicago Bull “has been very good.” However, he prefaced it by alluding to their “ups and downs.”
“Since I’ve been where we have ups and downs but, he [Steve Kerr] helped me to get here. We had a lot of great moments so I think our relationship has been very good,” Kuminga said.
Then, just last December, when Kerr joined the Willard & Dibs radio show on 95.7 FM, he praised the athletic forward but got real honest about the young man’s dreams.
“He’s obviously a guy with a lot of ambition, which I love. He wants to be a star,” Kerr said. “He’s got the ability that gives him that hope and gives us that hope. There has to be a consistent level of play in order to achieve that.”
There’s just one problem: How can Kuminga achieve consistency when he can’t actually get consistent minutes?
A Two-Year Extension for… Nothing?
Before the start of the 2025–26 NBA season, the fifth-year wing signed a two-year extension to stay in the Bay Area.
That extension led some to believe that the drama in San Francisco was over. Then, when the season rolled along, Kuminga continued to be in and out of the Warriors roster. In fact, he has played in only 18 out of the 37 possible games for the Warriors so far (as of press time). He also hasn’t been playing lately, with his last appearance coming back on December 19, 2025.
During this time, Kuminga hasn’t been injured, which means just one thing: Kerr is simply refusing to play him, even with the Warriors struggling in recent weeks. Yet, even with all the DNPs and inconsistent minutes, Kuminga has still put up 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.6 on 43.1% shooting from the field.
Move On to Move Forward
Now, Kerr and Kuminga appear to have reached an impasse. Perhaps the only solution for both parties is to move on from each other. Kerr obviously isn’t going to get fired to appease Kuminga, which leaves a trade out of the Bay Area as the only logical move. This is especially true given Kerr’s reluctance to give Kuminga substantial minutes, which the latter said he needs to get going.
“JK is a player who’s told me this… he’s a player who needs minutes and touches to get his rhythm going,” said Kerr, who obviously isn’t ready to give Kuminga those minutes and touches.
The Warriors are currently 19-18 and are eighth in the loaded Western Conference. With an aging core, the Dubs are certainly in dire need of young talent—any talent—to jump-start their spiraling campaign. Unfortunately, with Kerr calling the shots, that young talent probably isn’t Jonathan Kuminga.
Now, it’s time to do the right thing—something Golden State should’ve done already in the offseason: Trade Jonathan Kuminga. It’s what’s best for both parties.
