After a tumultuous five seasons, the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga finally went their separate ways during this trade deadline. After months of uncertainty, the Warriors pulled the trigger, sending the 23-year-old to the Atlanta Hawks. Unfortunately, despite this, Kuminga remains a topic of conversation within Golden State’s circles.
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When the Warriors selected Kuminga in the 2021 NBA Draft, they had hoped for him to become a future star alongside Stephen Curry. In hindsight, it was extremely unfair to expect a raw prospect to develop with the burden of such expectations, all while trying to compete for championships.
Regardless,, when he received the opportunity, Kuminga looked great for the most part. The problem was that the opportunity was never consistent. Kuminga was never able to find his footing within the team’s rotation, which led to conflicts between head coach Steve Kerr and the young star. Ahead of this season, it felt like the writing was on the wall for a fresh start, but it just never came.
It was clear things had run their course between the two parties. Kuminga knew he didn’t have a long future with the Warriors. As a result, he began to act in his own self-interest.
“[Kuminga] knew management wanted to ding him for missing a team-requested event,” Anthony Slater revealed.
Someone around Jonathan Kuminga was reportedly taking too much food from the Warriors’ family room, per @anthonyVslater
“ He knew management wanted to ding him for missing a team-requested event and alert him that someone around him was taking too much food from the family… pic.twitter.com/whWyUtan1x
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 11, 2026
Subsequently, the Warriors reciprocated that energy.
“[The team alerted] him that someone around him was taking too much food from the family room. The gripes between player and organization, as multiple sources said, had become ‘petty’ in the fifth year of a relationship many believed should have ended years before,” Slater noted.
It seems irrational for the Warriors, who are a franchise worth billions of dollars, to care so much about a few more plates of food missing. Surely, if Stephen Curry had a friend eating extra servings of food, nobody would bat an eye. However, with Kuminga, it could only get bitter.
Thankfully, with the trade, there should be no more reports about Kuminga and both parties can now move forward. The 6-foot-7 forward is looking towards a fresh start with the Hawks as he waits for his debut game while recovering from a lingering knee injury.
