With Jimmy Butler ruled out for the remainder of the season, the Golden State Warriors may look toward Jonathan Kuminga to fill the void. Kuminga, 23, has been frozen out of the Warriors’ rotation in recent weeks and demanded a trade away from the franchise on Jan. 15.
As such, Golden State finds itself in a predicament. Kuminga is perfectly suited to step into Butler’s role and prove that he’s a viable talent, both for Kerr and for any other team in the NBA. However, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, speaking on SportsCenter AM, Kuminga’s relationship with the franchise may have passed the point of no return.
“In some shape or form, the Warriors are back on the rollercoaster that is their saga with Jonathan Kuminga,” Charania said. “Whether they go all-in again with Kuminga to see, can he play in the absence of Jimmy Butler, the focus is going to squarely be on him…My sources tell me the relationship between him and Steve Kerr is fractured beyond repair.”
Kuminga hasn’t played for the Warriors since Dec. 18. He’s had no part in the team’s recent resurgence, and is expected to be moved on before the trade deadline has passed. As such, it would represent a significant change of stance from both Kerr and Kuminga himself.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Kuminga’s position appears to be untenable. As such, it’s more likely that he’s traded than he emerges as the team’s front-court savior. Still, stranger things have happened, so we can’t completely rule out a Kuminga redemption arc.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: The Warriors’ relationship with Kuminga means a trade is still likely
Reporting by Adam Taylor, Warriors Wire / Warriors Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
