Warriors' Steve Kerr Talks Jonathan Kuminga Before 1st Matchup After Trade, 'Want the Best for Him'

Ahead of Jonathan Kuminga's first matchup against the Golden State Warriors since being traded on Feb. 5, his former head coach holds no ill will toward the 23-year-old despite an often-contentious relationship.

Steve Kerr told The Athletic's Nick Friedell that everyone with the Warriors likes Kuminga and "I want the best for him" in the NBA.

"To be honest, I haven't given it much thought because we're trying to win a damn game. But I can tell you that everybody likes JK," Kerr said. "Everybody on our team wants the best for him. I want the best for him."

Kuminga was often a lightning rod for discussion throughout his entire tenure with Golden State.

After the Warriors traded Kuminga to Atlanta, ESPN's Anthony Slater detailed the fractured dynamic he often had with Kerr that culminated in a meeting in Kerr's office on Dec. 10:

"Kerr voicing his displeasure with Kuminga's lack of buy-in and competitiveness toward the team goals and Kuminga letting out his hurt about Kerr's longtime lack of belief in him as a player. The meeting ended, sources familiar with the exchange said, with Kerr slamming his white board in frustration."

According to Slater, Kuminga had also been unhappy with comments Kerr made during a Dec. 7 press conference after a win over the Chicago Bulls.

Kuminga wasn't used in the game against Chicago, even though Stephen Curry was out due to an injury. Kerr told reporters that it "happens to everybody pretty much, other than the stars."

"See," Kuminga said, per Slater. "That's the s--t I'm talking about. Why's he gotta say that?"

In the midst of the Warriors' playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, The Ringer's Logan Murdock noted Kuminga often "irked the coaching staff" by seeking out his own shot instead of playing in the flow of the offense:

"During a late-season game against the Blazers, team sources say Kerr was incensed after several instances in which Kuminga looked off Curry to create his own offense. Kuminga subsequently received DNPs in the Warriors' regular-season finale against the Clippers and then again in their play-in matchup against the Grizzlies."

Despite five years of both sides trying to make things work, the divorce prior to the trade deadline when the Warriors sent Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta for Kristaps Porziņģis.

Even though things didn't go as planned when Kuminga was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Kerr told Friedell he is optimistic the trade can be a win-win for everyone involved:

"I think the trade was a good one. Both guys are very talented. I think everything in the NBA is circumstantial. I think players need the right set of circumstances to thrive. And the trade made sense because these were not the right circumstances for JK. And you can see right away that Kristaps has a very clear role on this team, something we've needed for years. And we're looking forward to getting him out there with Steph. And so in the end, hopefully it's a trade that works for both guys and both teams."

A knee injury has limited Kuminga's availability for the Hawks, but he has been terrific when he does play. He's averaging 14.8 points on 56.6 percent shooting (58.3 percent from three), 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in six appearances.

It's unclear if Kuminga will play against the Warriors on Saturday since the Hawks will be on the second night of a back-to-back after Friday's game against the Houston Rockets.

The Hawks are in the midst of the NBA's longest active winning streak at 11 games and have climbed up to sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Warriors have lost eight of their last 10 games and sit in 10th in the West.

Golden State and Atlanta will play on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena.