Have you ever been part of a basketball team? If you have, then you would have often found yourselves being benched during some crucial games by the coach, and then be allowed to play in others. You would be disappointed during the former occasion, but that feeling would go away with the team’s win. Later, you would realize it was all part of the coach’s plan to utilize the best lineup to increase the team’s odds. Such changes have to be used more in the NBA world, where the competition is at its peak. Steve Kerr famously said back in October 2024, “The starting lineup is going to have to be dependent, not only on the first five fitting, but the second fitting as well. We’ve got a lot of work to do to figure out lineups.” That work will continue on in the playoffs.
If someone had said, back in January, that the Warriors would be competing in this tournament’s playoffs, you wouldn’t have believed them. Now, however, the team occupies the 7th seed in the Western Conference chart. It is no secret that things improved for the team after Jimmy Butler’s acquisition. Steve Kerr himself acknowledged this during his recent appearance on the Willard & Dibs podcast.
At the same time, he acknowledged that giving Butler the starting role diminished Jonathan Kuminga’s status as a power forward. This was a tactical decision, as keeping Kuminga out for the starting stretch allowed the Warriors to go “17-3, or something”. Kerr has found a winning combination, and he isn’t willing to sacrifice it anytime soon.
“It’s the lineup with Jimmy, Jonathan, and Draymond. Doesn’t fit real well, frankly. It just doesn’t. We need more spacing, we’ve found other lineups that have clicked, and this is just part of the deal, you know, being in the NBA, and you got to adopt to whatever’s happening with the team,” said Kerr.
He added, “Jonathan’s done a great job with that. He’s working hard. He’s playing well when he’s out there. But, I’m just going with the lineup combination that I think are gonna give us the best chance to win. There’s gonna be nights where he’s absolutely gonna be a part of that, like the Laker game. And then there’s gonna be nights where I go to Buddy, or Moses, or Gary Payton. It just changes every game, based on what’s happening, and I have to read that as a coach”.
Since his return from a 31-game absence, in 14 games, Kuminga has averaged 25 minutes or more in just 3 games. He has scarcely been used in Golden State’s closing lineups. The 22-year-old’s minutes went even further down on Wednesday, as he played just 18 minutes in the 114-111 loss against the San Antonio Spurs. If that wasn’t bad in itself, Kuminga played just 2 minutes in the 4th quarter, while Kerr preferred younger players like Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski.
The truth of the matter is simply that Jonathan Kuminga’s status within the Bay Area franchise took a back seat the minute the team acquired Jimmy Butler. Butler is 13 years senior to Kuminga and thereby carries more experience. On the scoring front, both have been almost equal. Kuminga averaged 15.4 points in his last 46 games, while Butler averaged 17.2 in his last 53 games.
However, Butler has reportedly provided a fresh dose of rim pressure within the Warriors. By mid-March, he was driving to the cup a team-high 12.2 times per game. Furthermore, as Draymond Green once highlighted, Butler is an ‘over communicator’ and very enthusiastic about drawing up his plays and taking opinions of the other players and coach on the same.
This characteristic of Butler was something that Green appreciated. He once revealed, “And so, the things that he’s doing like, when I tell you, to me, it’s music to my ears. To talk basketball with somebody that knows the basketball game like Jimmy, and listen and learn, you know, from somebody who know the game like Jimmy, it’s music to my ears, him overcommunicating the way he does.”
Being an efficient scorer, an enthusiastic player, and a good teammate, Jimmy Butler is the whole package. Though Kuminga himself is a good player in his own right, the former Heat star has proven himself to be the man Kerr wants as a starter, especially in the playoffs. All of this puts out some major uncertainty over Kuminga’s future. However, can things reach a level that the young player is even considered for a trade?
Will Jonathan Kuminga be traded for Nikola Jokic?
Before Jimmy Butler’s acquisition, things had gone quite downhill for the Warriors. As January concluded, the team was holding a neck-to-neck 24-24-win record. Jonathan Kuminga’s absence also played a major role in this poor record, as he played only 2 games in January. All of this indicated that the GSW squad needed to improve through better trade deals.
With Butler’s acquisition, Kuminga was not missed even when he was absent for the whole of February. Therefore, any future decisions that need to be made about improving the Warriors can involve trading Kuminga. In fact, a few analysts have already begun speculating.
According to a recent proposal by NBA reporter Julian Ojeda, one player can drastically improve the Warriors’ championship odds. That is, for the 2025-26 season. It is the Serbian star himself! Ojeda reported that “With Stephen Curry entering the twilight of his career, pairing him with (Jimmy) Butler and (Nikola) Jokic could extend the Warriors’ championship window”.
Jonathan Kuminga is a restricted free agent after this tournament. His 4-year, $24.8553 million contract is set to expire this year. According to reports, Kuminga is expected to command $30 million or more annually. This, combined with a strong group of young talent, could create a trade package.
“Golden State could offer Kuminga (via sign-and-trade), Moses Moody ($11.5 million), Buddy Hield ($9.2 million), Gary Payton II ($9.1 million), Brandin Podziemski ($3.6 million), a 2026 first-rounder, a top-five protected 2028 first, a 2029 second-rounder, and 2027 swap rights for Jokic and Peyton Watson ($2.5 million)” said Ojeda. Yikes!
Those are a lot of players. However, certainly worth it if the 30-year-old could become the next face of the Warriors.
Dec 23, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) looks on against the Indiana Pacers in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
The Nuggets had only a limited amount of games remaining in the regular season. Then, a bomb was suddenly dropped, and the front office fired head coach Michael Malone. This move raised questions about the franchise’s plan for Jokic’s future. The Warriors’ big men are serviceable, and landing one of the NBA’s best centers could drastically help the Dubs’ frontcourt. Kerr has indicated that Kuminga would not be utilized that much. Therefore, using him to negotiate a deal with the Nuggets could prove fruitful.
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