Moment When Kuminga, Kerr Frustrations 'Boiled Over' Detailed in Report

On Wednesday, ESPN's Anthony Slater published an article that detailed the divorce between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors.

Steve Kerr was a central figure in the report, as sources told Slater that many of Kerr's public comments bothered Kuminga.

From the Warriors' perspective, the last straw was when Kuminga "ruled himself out" before a game against the Thunder on Jan. 2, which was viewed by members of the coaching staff and front office as "a sign he'd quit on the team."

But the last straw for Kuminga probably came a month earlier.

On Dec. 10, days after a win against the Bulls in which Kuminga didn't play, Kerr and Kuminga had a meeting in Kerr's office.

"Inside Kerr's office that afternoon, exasperation boiled over," Slater wrote. "The discussion went from small picture to bigger picture. Frustrations were let out on both sides -- Kerr voicing his displeasure with Kuminga's lack of buy-in and competitiveness toward the team goals and Kuminga letting out his hurt about Kerr's longtime lack of belief in him as a player.

"The meeting ended, sources familiar with the exchange said, with Kerr slamming his white board in frustration."

Kuminga would make just three more appearances before he and Buddy Hield were traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis.

Warriors Had Chances to Trade Kuminga Sooner

The Slater article doesn't even mention the trade pursuits of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby that reportedly didn't get to the finish line because the Warriors didn't want to include Kuminga.

But the article does mention other noteworthy ones.

Perhaps the Warriors' biggest mistake was not trading Kuminga for Alex Caruso at the 2024 trade deadline.

Slater noted Kuminga would have been in the deal had Kevin Durant agreed to return to the Warriors at the 2025 trade deadline, but instead he vetoed the move, and the Warriors ended up getting Jimmy Butler without including Kuminga.

It's been widely reported that the Warriors could have gotten Malik Monk or Royce O'Neale in an offseason sign-and-trade return for Kuminga, but Slater added that Grayson Allen was also available.

Slater also reported that there was "a possibility" of dealing Kuminga to the Pacers for the No. 8 overall pick of the 2023 draft, which became Jarace Walker.

In regards to the Caruso miss, a source told Slater that "there was of a ton of indecision [from several people]."

That just about sums up the entire Kuminga Warriors tenure.