The Golden State Warriors look fine, but just about. Their core of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, along with the new addition Jimmy Butler, can still perform at an elite level. But they’re all 35 or older, which means their championship window, if one even exists, is narrow. That’s the concern Kendrick Perkins raised amid the ongoing Jonathan Kuminga debacle.
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Kuminga wants to leave the Warriors and has rejected their latest $45 million two-year extension. The Warriors, meanwhile, want to hold on to him for now, or at least, maximize his value and get someone exciting in return. As of now, neither of the two seems to be happening.
Former NBA champ Kendrick Perkins, now an opinionated pundit, is disappointed in Golden State. He feels that the team has failed to utilize the 2021 No. 7 pick, and now finds itself staring into the barrel of a difficult post-Curry future.
“I think the Warriors are treading in dangerous waters when it comes down to this Kuminga situation,” Perkins said on the Road Trippin podcast. “We could all agree that this window with Steph and Jimmy and Draymond is probably, maximum, what? Two years? Maybe three years.”
If Perkins managed to scare Dub Nation, there’s every reason they should be. Without Curry, the team looks blind. They lost four straight games to the Minnesota Timberwolves this past postseason after Curry’s hamstring injury. Now, take Draymond and Butler out, and the team crumbles.
There are also not too many options to trade out in return for something huge. Draft picks are also not a luxury the Golden State front office has for the immediate future, which is why they should have worked on investing in the talent that they have, and Kuminga was one of them.
“Ever since you drafted him, you never had to question anything about him. We’ve never heard reports about him [not] working hard. He works as a** off. He’s gotten better every single season,” Perkins added, before stating that Kuminga could easily be a 20 ppg scorer for a team that believes in him.
Sadly, the Warriors don’t. Head coach Steve Kerr has placed more faith in sophomore Brandin Podziemski, which could also irk Kuminga, considering he’s been with the team longer.
Kuminga’s future seems to be in his own hands, and he’ll likely find other suitors around the NBA. But what about the Warriors? What happens after Curry and Co. are gone? Hopefully, they don’t sink back into the dark times that loomed over the Bay before Curry arrived.
