If Jonathan Cuminga feels downplayed by the Golden State Warriors, there is no reason for Dub to bring him back next season.
Heading into the 2024-25 NBA season, it seemed Jonathan Kuminga would become a strange man. The Golden State Warriors were able to agree to an extension with Moses Moody, but Cuminga and the Warriors were unable to make a deal.
However, during the start of their ferocious 12-3 season, Cuminga averaged 13.3 points, which wasn’t great, but he continued to improve his defense. He appears to be the heart of the warriors, indicating that even after the trade deadlines he is likely to be re-signed to a restricted free agency.
However, with the arrival of Jimmy Butler, it revealed that Kuminga will be demoted to the depth chart, and the two straight DNPs (the coach’s decision) revealed that the Warriors do not consider him a key piece to advance.
As a restricted free agent, Kuminga can commit to any team in the league, but if the Warriors match the offer, he must play for them. As of this season, Steve Kerr seemed to do just that, claiming they were committed to younger advances.
However, he didn’t play in the must-see season finale against the LA Clippers. He didn’t even step into the court in his next play-in game with the Memphis Grizzlies.
“That’s crazy for me,” said Chandler Parsons of Fundael. Please do so. “We can’t find this guy’s 10 or 12 minutes. Who will be a restricted free agent.
Kuminga and Butler offer the same thing, but Golden State seems to be able to shift a few minutes and have an athletic wing defender on the court at all times.
That bothers my mind a bit and he’s going to order a lot of money this summer,” Parsons continued.
“The guy is a stud. Let him walk at this point. Someone is going to give him $20 million a year. And if he’s not playing the two most important games of the season, the warrior should not fit in it.”
Parsons and fans agree that Kuminga is likely to be checked out after two DNPs, and understands that he is not part of the plan to move forward, and that he will sign elsewhere rather than be traded after returning to Golden State.
Back in last summer, Brooklyn nets are listed as Kuminga landing sites. As a solid and athletic defender, he fits many teams around the league and will likely find his use to rebuild teams like the Net, Washington Wizards and the Utah Jazz.
The Phoenix Suns is also intriguing. Especially when you say goodbye to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beale. They ranked 28th in defense, and slotting Kuminga next to scorers like Devin Booker only improved their inadequate construction roster.
If the Warriors had planned not to play Kuminga, they would have traded him for the Miami Heat in a deal with Butler and kept Kyle Anderson, or somehow embraced Andrew Wiggins.
It appears that the Warriors mistreated Kuminga this season, but now the team and players are heading for divorce this summer.