CHICAGO — The Golden State Warriors’ fourth-highest-paid player, Jonathan Kuminga, was not among the 11 players to enter Sunday night’s 123-91 blowout win over the Chicago Bulls, despite the absence of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford.
“Happens to everybody pretty much, other than the stars,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said about not playing Kuminga. “Guys come in and out of the rotation, depending on who’s available, how the team is playing.”
Kuminga’s fifth season — much like his previous four with the Warriors — has generated consistent attention despite him receiving inconsistent playing time from an organization that has never seemed to be the perfect fit.
After a contentious restricted free agency dragged a few days into training camp, Kuminga returned on a two-year, $46.8 million contract with a team option for the second season — a team-friendly, tradeable structure he felt forced into accepting, league sources said at the time. The negotiations generated bitter feelings on both sides.
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But there was a glimpse of growth and optimism to open the season. Kuminga started at power forward and was a major factor in the team’s 4-1 start, prompting Kerr to name him as the entrenched starter.
But the momentum stalled and the messaging flipped, as it often has in Kuminga’s tenure. The team hit a mini-skid, and he was pulled from the starting lineup after 13 games. He sat the next seven because of knee tendinitis and has been ineffective since his return, making only 12 of 40 shots in four games.
That was punctuated with a 1-of-10 night in Cleveland on Saturday, when Kerr pulled him for reserve forward Gui Santos in the fourth quarter despite the Warriors missing Green, Curry and Jimmy Butler III. As the Warriors closed out the Cavaliers for an upset win, Green was calming down a frustrated Kuminga on the sideline.
Butler returned for Sunday’s game against the Bulls, eating up a chunk of Kuminga’s minutes. In the lead-up, Kerr used Santos as the primary backup and went away from Kuminga, placing him outside of the scripted 11-man rotation.
“This is how the league works,” Kerr said. “There’s always someone knocking down the door, trying to get your job. So, it’s on everybody to just compete, bring their best effort for the team. We’ve got a lot of guys doing that.”
Kuminga said Kerr’s message to him before the game was simple — the Warriors were going in a different direction.
“I’m not really sure [how long it lasts],” Kuminga said. “But as long as things are working out there and we winning, I don’t see the point of switching anything, changing. Whenever my number get called, I’ll be ready.”
The Warriors won a second straight road game Sunday night behind some inspired performances.
Two-way point guard Pat Spencer scored in double figures for a fourth straight game. Second-year center Quinten Post made five 3s. Brandin Podziemski scored 21 points, the most he has had since late October. The Warriors held the Bulls to 91 points one night after limiting the Cavaliers to 94 points.
“We’ve been doing good,” Kuminga said. “Things are working. So, I don’t see the point of taking certain people out of the rotation when we doing good, and things are going well.”
The Warriors end this road trip with a 13-12 record. They get four days off before a home game against the Timberwolves on Friday, when Curry and Green are expected back, further burying Kuminga in the rotation.
“I don’t have any problems,” Kuminga said. “I’m going to work out every day, stay ready, because you never know how these things works. I believe in my game and feel good about my game. I just got to be a professional. Things happen. It’s happened before.”
Kuminga becomes trade eligible Jan. 15. The Warriors are expected to explore the Kuminga trade market in the weeks ahead as the probability of a split before the February deadline remains strong, according to league sources.
“I keep everything that happened in the summer in the past,” Kuminga said. “I can’t focus on everything at the same time. It’s going to take me off track. Whatever happened in the summer, I can’t control that. I’ve moved on from that.”
In recent days, Kerr has asked Kuminga to run the floor hard instead of lingering back and asking for the basketball. The team has been urging him to make quick decisions and not settle for midrange jumpers.
“We have a good relationship,” Kuminga said when asked about Kerr. “We talk and figure out things. We don’t have any problem. I don’t have any problem. Just didn’t go my way. I’m going to stay happy, stay locked in, stay focused, stay positive.”
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