The vibes surrounding the Golden State Warriors were high following the organization’s encouraging 4-1 start to the season.
However, the Dubs have hit a rough patch since then, losing seven of their next 12 games to fall to 9-8 on the year.
To make matters worse, an NBA insider recently revealed that Golden State has an alarming Jonathan Kuminga problem one month into the 2025-26 campaign.
“The first four weeks of Kuminga's fifth season with the Warriors have mirrored much of his career,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater wrote Thursday.
“He flashed the tantalizing upside, helped them burst out to a 4-1 start and gained enough traction for coach Steve Kerr to publicly install him as an entrenched starter. But turbulence is always around the corner.
“The Warriors lost five of their next seven. Kuminga's turnovers spiked and performance dipped. Searching for rotation answers, Kerr demoted Kuminga back to a bench role, reopening old wounds.
“He (Kuminga) feels like the scapegoat again," one team source told Slater.
MORE: Warriors' four-time NBA champion coach leaving NBA to coach Sabrina Ionescu in WNBA
The Warriors can’t seem to figure out what to do with Kuminga at this stage of his career.
Kuminga clearly isn’t a great fit with the Warriors, and with the franchise possessing championship aspirations, it can’t afford to take a patient approach with the 6-foot-7 forward.
However, Golden State likely won’t trade Kuminga for just any asset, which may leave them no choice but to retain him for the rest of the season.
The best-case scenario is that Kuminga finds a way to avoid being a distraction in the Bay and plays consistent basketball moving forward.
For now, though, the two parties appear to be at a crossroads in late November.
More NBA news:
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- NBA executive names Bulls as potential trade destination for Anthony Davis
- Warriors trade idea sends Jonathan Kuminga to Mavericks for $175 million ex-Lakers champion
- Lakers make major Bronny James decision after disappointing start to sophomore season