Most NBA teams don’t take a long summer vacation once the season ends, but the Golden State Warriors were the exception this year. It was almost as if they hoped things would sort themselves out and then scrambled at the last minute to put their roster together. The big hold-up was of course, figuring out Jonathan Kuminga’s situation, which the team ultimately did by signing him to a two-year, $46.8 million deal.
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That contract won’t necessarily end the trade speculation around Kuminga, as it allows the Warriors to easily deal him once he’s eligible to be moved on January 15. For now though, Kuminga has about a three-month runway to prove to the Warriors that he’s part of the long-term solution.
On ESPN’s NBA Countdown last night, former Nuggets coach Michael Malone spoke about what needs to happen for the Kuminga-Warriors marriage to work. This was after Kendrick Perkins set the table for him by comparing Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Kuminga with Malone and Michael Porter Jr.
“It comes down to communication,” Malone said, pointing out that though there are things Kerr will want from this relationship and things Kuminga will hope to receive, the two need to get on the same page to figure out how to make it all work.
“You look at what Jonathan Kuminga did in Games 2, 3, 4 and 5 in that second series against Minnesota,” he continued. “Steph Curry got hurt, Kuminga became a focal point and showed out. They didn’t win any of those games, but can he find a way to step up and be a part of this team off the bench?” Malone asked.
Kerr himself confirmed that communication is the most important thing. Last week he said, “At the heart of any great team culture is communication … It’s just about fit, it’s just about what we need, how he sees himself and how we see him.”
Kerr had asserted that he would be having a good conversation with Kuminga before the start of the season to ensure both of them had the goals in mind.
Whether or not Kuminga succeeds on the Warriors will be the ultimate arbiter of whether the ‘two timelines’ approach was a success or not. James Wiseman ended up being a draft bust, but if Kuminga can show the consistency to be a legitimate third option behind Curry and Jimmy Butler, then the Warriors will be a team to be reckoned with.
Kuminga has the talent to be a star, but the Warriors and he have never really gotten on the same page. Even last season, Kuminga was persona non grata until the injury-laden Warriors had their backs against the wall and called on him for help.
These next few months will determine whether he’ll be a cornerstone of the franchise, or whether the Warriors will get what they can for him at the trade deadline. The Warriors have a window while they have Curry and Butler, but it probably won’t be open for long. They need Kuminga to prove that he’s a part of the solution right away.
