Jonathan Kuminga Gives Cryptic Response on Injury Timeline amid Warriors Trade Rumors

Golden State Warriors' forward Jonathan Kuminga didn't offer much insight into when he might return from the knee tendinitis that has cost him the last six games, simply telling ESPN's Anthony Slater on Monday night it's coming "soon."

He was even less forthcoming with other reporters, according to The Athletic's Nick Friedell, who wrote that "during the Warriors' open locker room period before Monday's game, The Athletic approached Kuminga, who declined to comment. When told that it was [head coach Steve Kerr] who told the media to ask Kuminga himself how he was doing in recovery, he again declined to comment. Kuminga is not required to speak to the media, but his decision not to share an update will only feed into the speculation about his lingering status."

Kerr told reporters Sunday that he had "no idea" when Kuminga would be able to return and that the injury was "worse than what we thought."

He then instructed reporters to speak to Kuminga if they wanted more details.

"I can't tell you what the outlook is," he told reporters. "[Kuminga] can tell you that better than I could. So he needs to feel better and be able to move better before we put him out there. Maybe we'll get imaging done on the knee. Yeah, we've got to figure it out. We've missed him."

The Warriors have already ruled him out for Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets:

There will naturally be some questions about the entire situation given the history between Kuminga and the organization. He saw his role lessened last season after the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, given their clunky fit together, and this offseason his restricted free agency dragged into October before a short-term resolution was found that very much left the door open for a trade down the line.

The 23-year-old has been good this season for the team averaging 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists across 13 contests while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three. He was reinstated to the starting lineup, and in his absence the team has gone 3-3, breaking a three-game losing streak on Monday night against the Utah Jazz.

The Warriors and Kuminga have seemed fated for a divorce for some time now, however. That isn't to suggest that this current situation necessarily has anything to do with that, but it makes that type of speculation easy to understand.