Jimmy Butler Injury Puts Jonathan Kuminga Conversation Back in the A-Block

Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors have been in a slow, awkward breakup process since the team signed the young forward to a new two-year, $48.5 million deal in September. Kuminga has seen his playing time evaporate and his relationship with the team and coach Steve Kerr become the subject of much conversation around the league as the team has waited for the opportunity to trade him.

That magical Jan. 15 date has passed and Kuminga can now be traded, but still we wait with some people understandably getting sick of talking about it. Like ESPN's Brian Windhorst who opened a recent episode of NBA Today begging his co-hosts and producers to move on.

“What are we doing here," Windhorst asked. "What are we doing here, leading off the signature show on the NBA, talking about a player who hasn’t played in a month? Who’s having the worst shooting season of his career, and who’s playing for a team that self-describes as mediocre — Jimmy Butler called the team mediocre the other day, he wasn’t wrong. Steve Kerr called the team a fading dynasty, and he wasn’t wrong."

"What are we doing here?" Windhorst again asked. "If he had an offer last summer from another team, he would have signed an offer sheet. He didn’t have an offer sheet. A pox on both of their houses. I’ve had enough of this. This is not a significant thing. Just move on. I can’t take it anymore. I can't take it anymore. We've seen Anthony Slater go through four seasons in his backyard talking about this stoyr. A guy who is not a significant... Shams and Slater reported, two weeks ago, he had a chance to play and he said I got a back injury."

Well, the story is back because Jimmy Butler is out for the season with a torn ACL. Butler plays the same position as Kuminga. Butler was a starter who played 30 minutes a game and the Warriors need to fill those minutes. It would make zero sense not to play him.

And if they don't, Steve Kerr will keep getting asked about it and eventually he'll have to give something more than one-word answers. Either way, it's a conversation Windhorst will not be able to escape.

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