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Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors warms up prior to the start of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on December 25, 2024 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Entering the 2025-26 NBA season, it was clear that the Golden State Warriors and talented young forward Jonathan Kuminga had a good chance of parting ways before the trade deadline.
During the offseason, Kuminga made his desire to be traded clear. He went through a long contract standoff with the Warriors before eventually agreeing to terms on a two-year, $48.5 million deal. Despite the agreement, the two sides weren’t on the same page.
Over the last couple of years, the relationship between Kuminga and Golden State had been deteriorating. The two sides couldn’t seem to fix the issues.
All of that led to a trade deadline deal with the Atlanta Hawks that featured Kuminga being sent out of town and Kristaps Porzingis being brought in.
With the trade now in the rearview mirror, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. took some time to speak out about his biggest regret with Kuminga.
Golden State Warriors GM Gets Honest About Jonathan Kuminga
As shared by NBC Sports, Dunleavy shared that he regretted the two sides not building mutual buy-in with each other.
“With young players and player development and all that stuff, you want to put your best foot forward. I think we did that,” Dunleavy Jr. said.
“The key in all this I’ve learned is you have to have buy-in from the player, and you have to have buy-in from the organization. There’s buy-in’s on both ends. And that wasn’t fully met if I’m looking back on it. And that’s on both sides.”
Dunleavy continued on, sharing that sometimes teams miss with their picks. He doesn’t think the Kuminga situation was anything different than other teams have dealt with.
“These things don’t always work out, though,” he said. “This isn’t the first draft pick the Warriors have made, or the league has made, where it just hasn’t worked out, and guys move on and do better in different situations, and that’s just the NBA. I frankly experienced it myself. So that’s the way it goes.
“We’re moving on, he’s moving on. It’s all good, and you know, we feel good about the young players we have, the way they’re growing, and all that, and we’ll continue down that path.”
Looking Back at Jonathan Kuminga’s Time with Golden State
Kuminga was originally drafted by the Warriors with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. When that selection was made, he was projected to be a future star.
Golden State saw flashes of that potential. Unfortunately, the flashes never turned into consistency.
His best season with the Warriors came back in 2023-24, which was his third year in the NBA. He played in 74 games and made 46 starts, averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
Now at 23 years old, Kuminga has been given a fresh start. In his first three games with the Hawks, he has made the most of the opportunity. Kuminga has averaged 21.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals, while shooting 67.7 percent from the floor and 55.6 percent from three-point range.
He’s off to a hot start with Atlanta. Golden State and Dunleavy are certainly wishing him the best, although the thoughts about what could have been remain.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey
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