Jonathan Kuminga's Agent Makes Petty Move During Hawks Game

The Golden State Warriors got blown out by the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, and Jonathan Kuminga's agent wants everyone to know it didn't have to happen.

During the game, Aaron Turner posted a highlight video on X of Kuminga scoring 25 points against the Hawks in a January 2024 win.

On Sunday, the lack of a third scorer was particularly apparent for Golden State. Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler combined for 61 points, but no other Warrior had more than 10 points.

Kuminga's performance against the Hawks from January 2024 was part of the best stretch of his career. He averaged 24.9 points from Jan. 12 to Feb. 5 of the 2023-24 season. At that point, the Warriors likely had no interest in trading him.

What a difference two years can make.

Kuminga's Struggles This Season

The implication that Kuminga is unjustly getting benched right now is outrageous.

In his last nine games, Kuminga is averaging 6.3 points on 31.1 percent shooting. He was a cumulative minus-56 in those games.

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey's metric HNI, an average of every player's (with at least 300 minutes) ranking in 10 catch-all stats, had Kuminga ranked 301st out of 334 players on Jan. 9.

Put simply, he hasn't earned minutes to be in Steve Kerr's rotation.

Overall, Kuminga is averaging 11.8 points on 43.1 percent shooting and 32.0 percent from three this season.

Kuminga Can Be Traded Soon

This saga will likely end soon. The Warriors can trade Kuminga on Thursday. But there's no guarantee they trade him by the end of this week.

How long Kuminga remains a Warriors is probably in the Brooklyn Nets' hands.

The Nets have to decide if they are willing to trade Michael Porter Jr., who is likely Golden State's top trade target.

The Athletic's John Hollinger reported on Saturday that Porter is "a lock" to be traded before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but The Stein Line's Marc Stein wrote on Sunday that he's "hearing pushback about the Nets' willingness to part with Porter before the offseason."

This could be posturing by the Nets to try to get more draft capital from one of the Porter suitors. And it might just work too.

The Warriors would a) love to make this trade sooner to help their playoff push and b) could get antsy if their other trade targets get dealt while they wait on the Nets with the hope they'll accept their initial offer.