The Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga are at a crossroads.
Kuminga, at times, is a 22-year old with all the talent in the world and a future to dream on. But at other times this season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr couldn’t justify putting Kuminga on the floor with Golden State’s stars.
What happens now?
Kuminga is a restricted free agent, which essentially keeps the Warriors in control. They can match offer sheets from other teams.
But even with that said, Kuminga “hasn’t ruled out” a return to the Bay Area, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
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The vibes around Kuminga changed multiple times at the tail end of the season.
He got multiple DNP-Coach’s Decision outings at the end of the season.
But when Jimmy Butler was hurt in the playoffs, and then when Steph Curry was hurt later in the playoffs, Kuminga got lots of playing time and scored lots of points.
He’s a high-flying athlete with natural scoring ability, and he flashes his immense talent multiple times every game.
But Kerr doesn’t feel like Kuminga’s perimeter shot is good enough to put onto the floor with Butler and Draymond Green, neither of whom is a great shooting weapon.
Curry lineups, for as long as they exist, require some spacing just to keep defenses honest as the all-time great flies around the court to get open.
All that being said, Kuminga’s status is still in flux. A different team could view him as a future star, which is how Kuminga views himself, according to Slater’s reporting.
The reality is that the Warriors could probably still use him, and it’s positive for Golden State that he isn’t opposed to coming back.
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