The Golden State Warriors crushed the Chicago Bulls 123–91 on Sunday night, but the final score quickly became a footnote. The real shocker — the moment that sent alarm bells blaring across the NBA — was Jonathan Kuminga’s complete absence from the lineup. Not a single minute. Not even in garbage time of a 32-point blowout.
For a franchise already under the microscope, this wasn’t a routine coaching choice. This felt like a message. And it didn’t take long for league insiders to spell out what that message might be.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Golden State is “expected to explore the Kuminga trade market in the weeks ahead,” adding that the likelihood of a split before February’s deadline is “strong.” The timing is impossible to ignore: Kuminga becomes trade-eligible on January 15, just days away. And now, one of the team’s most explosive young athletes has vanished from the rotation overnight.
The writing on the wall has never been clearer.
This wasn’t supposed to be Kuminga’s story. The 23-year-old forward opened the season on fire — averaging 17.5 points on 55.4% shooting and an eye-catching 45% from deep through the first six games. For a brief moment, it finally looked like the Warriors had unlocked him, that this would be the season he broke through the ceiling.
Instead, it became another chapter in a familiar saga: Steve Kerr unable to reconcile Kuminga’s development with Golden State’s win-now urgency. The friction, the inconsistency, the minutes roller coaster — all of it returned faster than anyone expected.
Kuminga himself seemed resigned on Sunday, his words soft but revealing.
“I’m not really sure how long it lasts,” he told Slater. “But as long as things are working out there and we winning, I don’t see the point of switching anything. Whenever my number get called, I’ll be ready.”
Except his number wasn’t called. Not once.
For a coach who typically rewards energy, effort, and athleticism — especially in lopsided games — Kuminga’s DNP wasn’t tactical. It felt symbolic.
Here’s the hard truth for the Warriors: Kuminga’s trade value hasn’t gone up since the summer. In fact, it might be worse now. Once seen as a high-end prospect with All-Star upside, he’s now gaining a reputation for being misused, underdeveloped, or simply incompatible with Kerr’s system.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. still wants something real in return: a rotation guard, a stretch big, a veteran wing — anything that helps Stephen Curry now. But with fewer suitors than expected and the Warriors’ desperation becoming public, rival teams can smell leverage slipping through Golden State’s fingers.
At some point, the franchise may have no choice but to take what’s available.
There’s a growing sense around the league that this relationship has run its course. The minutes inconsistency. The communication miscues. The philosophical divide between player and system. None of it is new — and none of it is improving.
The Warriors hoped time would fix it. It hasn’t.
Kuminga hoped trust would grow. It hasn’t.
And the fan base, once excited about what Kuminga could become, now watches a 23-year-old asset diminish every time he rides the bench.
Golden State’s blowout win over Chicago should have been a much-needed sigh of relief for a team scrambling to stay afloat in a brutal Western Conference. Instead, Kuminga’s DNP became the loudest alarm of the season — a public signal that the franchise may finally be preparing to move on.
Trade eligibility hits January 15. The deadline looms in February.
The Warriors say they are “exploring the market.”
Everyone else knows what that means.
The Jonathan Kuminga era in Golden State might be ending — and Sunday night may be the moment we all look back on as the beginning of the exit.
Leave a Reply