CHICAGO — The Golden State Warriors‘ fourth-highest paid player, Jonathan Kuminga, was not among the 11 players to enter Sunday night’s 123-91 blowout win over the Chicago Bulls, despite the absence of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford.
“Happens to everybody pretty much, other than the stars,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said of his decision not to play Kuminga. “Guys come in and out of the rotation, depending on who’s available, how the team is playing.”
Kuminga’s fifth season — much like his previous four with the Warriors — has generated consistent attention despite inconsistent minutes, availability, production and trust from an organization he has never seemed to completely fit.
After a contentious restricted free agency dragged a few days into training camp, Kuminga returned on a two-year, $46.8 million contract with a team option on the second season — a team-friendly, tradeable structure he felt forced into accepting, league sources said at the time. The negotiations generated bitter feelings on both sides.
But there was a brief glimpse of growth and optimism to open the season. Kuminga started at power forward and was a major factor in the team’s 4-1 start, prompting Kerr to name him as the entrenched starter.
But the momentum stalled and the messaging flipped, as it often has in Kuminga’s tenure. The team hit a mini skid and he was pulled from the starting lineup after 13 games. He sat the next seven with knee tendinitis and has been ineffective since his return, making only 12 of 40 shots in four games.
That was punctuated with a 1 of 10 night in Cleveland on Saturday where Kerr decided to pull him for reserve forward Gui Santos in the fourth quarter despite the Warriors missing Green, Curry and Jimmy Butler. As the Warriors closed out the Cavaliers for an upset win, Green could be seen calming down a frustrated Kuminga on the sideline.
Butler returned for Sunday’s game against the Bulls, eating up a chunk of Kuminga’s minutes. In the lead up, Kerr decided to use Santos as the primary backup and went away from Kuminga entirely, placing him outside of the scripted 11-man rotation.
“This is how the league works,” Kerr said. “There’s always someone knocking down the door trying to get your job. So it’s on everybody to just compete, bring their best effort for the team. We’ve got a lot of guys doing that.”
Kuminga said Kerr’s message to him prior to the game was simple — they were going in a different direction.
“I’m not really sure (how long it lasts),” Kuminga said. “But as long as things are working out there and we winning, I don’t see the point of switching anything, changing. Whenever my number get called, I’ll be ready.”
The Warriors won a second straight road game on Sunday night behind some inspired performances from their deep rotation players.
Two-way point guard Pat Spencer scored in double figures for a fourth straight game. Second-year center Quinten Post made five 3s. Brandin Podziemski‘s 21 points were the most he’s scored since late October. They held the Bulls to 91 points one night after limiting the Cavaliers to 94 points.
“We’ve been doing good,” Kuminga said. “Things are working. So I don’t see the point of taking certain people out of the rotation when we doing good and things are going well.”
The Warriors exit this road trip with a 13-12 record. They get four days off before a home game on Friday against the Timberwolves when Curry and Green are both expected back, further burying Kuminga in the current rotation.
“I don’t have any problems,” Kuminga said. “I’m going to work out every day, stay ready, because you never know how these things works. I believe in my game and feel good about my game. I just gotta be a professional. Things happen. It’s happened before.”
Kuminga becomes trade eligible on Jan. 15. The Warriors are expected to explore the Kuminga trade market in the weeks ahead as the probability of a split prior to the February deadline remains strong, league sources indicate.
“I keep everything that happened in the summer in the past,” Kuminga said. “I can’t focus on everything at the same time. It’s going to take me off track. Whatever happened in the summer, I can’t control that. I’ve moved on from that.”
Kerr’s more specific ask of Kuminga in recent days has been to run the floor hard instead of lingering back and asking for the basketball. They’ve been urging him to make quick decisions and not settle for mid-range jumpers.
“We have a good relationship,” Kuminga said when asked about Kerr. “We talk and figure out things. We don’t have any problem. I don’t have any problem. Just didn’t go my way. I’m going to stay happy, stay locked in, stay focused, stay positive.”
Copyright © 2025 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.