NBA Scout Says Best Thing for Jonathan Kuminga is Warriors 'Sign-and-Trade' Him
One NBA scout isn't sure the Golden State Warriors are the ideal setting for young forward Jonathan Kuminga as he heads toward restricted free agency.
"The best thing that happens to him is if they sign-and-trade him," the scout said to ESPN's Kevin Pelton.
With four seasons in the books, Kuminga's usage on the Warriors remains a little tough to pin down. He appeared in 47 games and made 10 starts this past year, averaging 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting.
Still only 22, the 2021 first-round pick may need more playing time to truly flourish. Attaining that in Golden State only became more difficult when it acquired Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline.
There's also the push and pull of Kuminga trying to maximize the moments when he is on the court while operating within Golden State's scheme. The Ringer's Logan Murdock reported on May 14 that his "propensity to look for his shot at the expense of the flow of Golden State’s offense has irked the coaching staff."
Head coach Steve Kerr was candid about Kuminga in a recent interview with Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard.
"It's a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more," he said. "And for me, I've been asked to win. 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."
The Warriors don't have many young assets left to build a foundation in a post-Stephen Curry future. Kuminga also remains an attractive trade chip if general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. needs to make another win-now move down the road.
A sign-and-trade might work to everyone's benefit. Golden State wouldn't lose Kuminga for nothing, and he'd be joining a team on which he's likely to have a more defined role.
