Heat Trade Would Be Best Option for Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors Amid NBA Rumors
Jonathan Kuminga wants to play. Consistently.
That is not something he has had, or apparently will, in Golden State.
Head coach Steve Kerr told The San Francisco Standard's Tim Kawakami, "It’s a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more."
He continued, "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 [Curry] and Jimmy [Butler] and Draymond [Green] — and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win."
With Kerr's instance on running the system through his veterans and, to an extent, understandably so, it leaves Kuminga as the odd man out. Especially with the coach comparing the 22-year-old to Shawn Marion.
"With his athleticism, running the floor, putting pressure on the rim, offensive rebounds, getting into the dunker (spot) … going up and dunking, guarding everybody at the other end. To me, that’s what he’s really built for."
With Kerr wanting to see more out of Kuminga off the ball, and the young star believing in himself as an offense-driving scorer, the team and its potential star appear to be at an impasse.
Enter the Miami Heat, who Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported has shown "legitimate interest" in the power forward. The team is looking to restock the proverbial cabinet after, ironically enough, trading Butler to Golden State and Kuminga would fill a need.
He would also theoretically get the playing time and opportunity to start consistently that he desires.
"Things take time, but I feel like I’m at the point where that has to be my priority, to just be one of the guys a team relies on. Aiming to be an All-Star. Multiple times. Aiming to be great. … Wherever I’m going to be at, it don’t matter if it’s the Warriors or if it’s anywhere else, it’s something I want. I want to see what I could do. I know I got it. So I want to really see. I’ve never got that chance," he told Slater.
A sign-and-trade that allows the player to get what he wants, and the Warriors to get something (be it draft picks or players) in return, rather than further hurting feelings, relationships, and creating unnecessary distractions, is the right decision for everyone involved.
