Stein: Warriors Open to Trading Andrew Wiggins amid Kuminga Unrest, NBA Teams Believe

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly open to trading Andrew Wiggins which would open up a larger role for Jonathan Kuminga, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

"When I talk to other teams more and more, I'm hearing that there's an anticipation now that the Warriors will be open to trading Andrew Wiggins," Stein said in an appearance on the #thisleague Uncut podcast (26:30 mark). "Because Wiggins and Kuminga, when they've played together, the Warriors would be the first to tell you it hasn't gone well."

Kuminga "lost faith" in head coach Steve Kerr over a lack of playing time after a Jan. 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Despite scoring 16 points against Denver on 5-7 shooting, the 21-year-old was on the floor for just 19 minutes and did not play in the fourth quarter. Kerr and Kuminga had a meeting following the release of the report, which seemingly cleared the air.

"I think it went really well," Kuminga said in regards to the discussion, per ESPN's Kendra Andrews. "I think it was just all about better understanding of each other. More communication. ... Just us having that conversation today made me more comfortable that any time I have something to ask, I should just go up to his office. His door is open."

"I think that's what it's all about -- communication every single time if something is going wrong. Communication is the key," he added.

However, the Warriors still have a problem in the starting lineup. The wing duo of Kuminga and Wiggins has struggled mightily in 2023, playing a role in Golden State's 17-19 record to begin the year. The Warriors have a net rating of -20.6 with the two on the floor this season, the worst mark of any duo on the team that has played at least 25 minutes together (per NBA.com).

Wiggins in particular has been disappointing throughout his first 32 appearances of the season, averaging just 11.9 points per game while shooting 29.7 percent from three. The Warriors have reportedly become "increasingly open" to trading him, per Stein.

If the team continues to struggle, expect Golden State's front office to be active ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.