Even though the Warriors organization has said time and time again that they expect to resign Jonathan Kuminga and keep him close to the franchise, one NBA scout is convinced that the ideal situation for his own future, is to be handed a new contract but then traded out to another club.
Golden State‘s time has come to decide as the player heads towards restricted free agency. “The best thing that happens to him is if they sign-and-trade him,” the anonymous scout told ESPN’s Kevin Pelton this week. The young star has played four seasons in California, and has improved slowly, but steadily.
This past campaign he competed in 47 match and started in 10 of them, averaging 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting. As he’s only 22-years of age, the 2021 first-round pick could still flourish into a player that could potentially dominate the league, but he hasn’t been given the chance with the Warriors.
Not too long ago, The Ringer‘s Logan Murdock reported that his “propensity to look for his shot at the expense of the flow of Golden State’s offense has irked the coaching staff.”
His own coach Steve Kerr, was candid when speaking about JK’s situation. “It’s a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more,” said the Golden State tactician. “And for me, I’ve been asked to win.”
He then added: “And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster that we have — Steph and Jimmy and Draymond — and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”
As for the club’s general manager, he gave a different answer than the head coach. “We value JK. I think he had a resilient season,” Mike Dunleavy said. “As far as bringing him back next season, I think it’s something we’re very interested in doing.”
The executive still sees the potential in Kuminga. “When I look at the things JK does well, in terms of getting to the rim, finishing, getting fouled, these are things we greatly need. We know he can bring those to the table. It’s not hypothetical,” he concluded.
