Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga surprisingly didn't play a single minute in his team's 124-119 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center on Sunday. Kuminga's benching in the Warriors' most important game of the season thus far raised eyebrows, and Stephen Curry spoke postgame on what he hopes to see from him moving forward.
"Just to be ready," Curry said. "It’s the test of a young player in this league and, especially with our team. You never know when your moment will be there at the brightest and highest of moments. So, it wasn’t his time tonight, and against Memphis, it could be a game where he makes his presence felt.
"So, don’t let noise outside of the locker room, the attention that might come from it, distract you from your ability to make an impact when your number is called," Curry added. "We saw this summer, DNPs all over the place. You got to be able to be ready."
This 2024-25 season has been a rollercoaster for Kuminga. The 22-year-old was initially a starter, but was then made a reserve after just three games. He was briefly reinserted into the lineup later, but was pushed back to the bench soon after.
Kuminga, who averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2024-25, had also seen his minutes fluctuate a lot over the course of the campaign. So, it wouldn't have been a shock if head coach Steve Kerr only had him out there for a little while against the Clippers.
Not playing him at all was quite an interesting decision, though, as this was Kuminga's first DNP this season. He had played more than 10 minutes in all but one of the games he had been available for this season, but didn't even come off the bench in such a hugely important contest.
Had the Warriors beaten the Clippers and secured a spot in the playoffs, this might not have been a huge talking point. They lost, though, and are now in the play-in tournament, where they'll take on the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on Tuesday at 10 PM ET.
The Warriors might need Kuminga to be at his best against a very athletic Grizzlies team, but you wonder what state of mind he's in right now. The benching would have been a huge blow mentally, and it will be interesting to see how he responds, provided Kerr does play him in that game.
Kerr spoke about Kuminga's DNP postgame and stated it didn't mean he was out of the rotation moving forward. He also revealed he had informed the forward before the game against the Clippers that the Warriors weren't going with their usual rotation.
Kerr hadn't told Kuminga that he won't be playing, though, and you'd imagine he'd have expected to feature for at least a short period of time. That didn't end up being the case.
Kuminga is going to be a restricted free agent this offseason, and with all that has happened during his Warriors tenure, you wouldn't blame him for wanting to be elsewhere. The Warriors won't be letting him walk for nothing, but it sure doesn't seem like he'll be with the team for too much longer.
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It’s wild how quickly the NBA narrative can flip. A year ago, Zion Williamson was in every trade rumor possible. People were questioning his health, his work ethic, even his future in New Orleans. And the Pelicans? They didn’t really deny any of it. It felt like both sides were one step away from walking. But things have shifted this offseason — quietly, but clearly. The Pelicans could’ve pulled the plug. Zion’s contract gave them outs, and the trade market might’ve still brought back some real value. Instead, they stuck with him. And based on what one of their own just said, they’re not just keeping him around — they’re still betting big on him. In a recent interview with Spotrac’s Keith Smith, an anonymous Pelicans executive made it crystal clear. “Zion is still our guy. We’re all in on him. We think he’s going to have a huge year. We’ve had some bad injury luck and some things that just haven’t worked out. This partnership hasn’t even come close to reaching our best yet.” That’s not something you say if you’re halfway in. They backed it up with their offseason moves, too. They traded CJ McCollum and brought in Jordan Poole, a high-usage creator who can take pressure off Zion. They drafted Jeremiah Fears with the No. 7 pick, a dynamic young guard. They added Kevon Looney, a reliable veteran who brings playoff experience and toughness. Those aren’t tear-it-down moves — those are “let’s try this another way” moves. Of course, Zion’s health is still the question. That never really goes away. He played just 30 games last season, but in those games he looked solid: 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per night on 56.7 percent shooting. The explosiveness was there. The playmaking was sharp. And the hope for New Orleans is that this time, he can finally sustain it. What’s interesting is how the front office is trying to create a better environment around him. Joe Dumars has stepped in to lead basketball operations and is reportedly building a closer relationship with Zion — dinners, real conversations, not just surface-level stuff. It feels like, for once, the team is trying to meet him halfway. It’s a risk, sure. But it’s a calculated one. The West is brutal and the margin for error is thin. Still, if Zion can stay healthy for 60 games, and if Poole finds a rhythm and guys like Trey Murphy and Herb Jones keep improving — this team has a shot to be in the mix. The quote from the exec says it all. They could’ve hit reset, moved on, cleaned house. But they didn’t. They’re still in. And now it’s on Zion to hold up his end of the deal. After everything that’s happened, they’re telling the world they still believe. Now it’s time to find out if they’re right.
The Bengals officially hosted tight end Noah Fant for a visit on Thursday according to the NFL's official transaction wire. The 27-year-old was released by the Seahawks earlier this week. The visit appears to be over. That doesn't mean the Bengals won't sign the former first round pick, but it could be an indicator that he's going to take other visits before coming to an agreement with a team. Fant would be a good fit in the Bengals' pass-first offense and could give them another weapon at tight end alongside Mike Gesicki. "I can only say so much to him to make him come here," Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase said on Thursday. "He knows what we have here. I know he sees the schemes, I know he might like the schemes. That's why you come take the visit." Fant was picked in the first round (20th overall) by the Broncos in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has at least 414 receiving yards in each of his first six NFL seasons. He had 48 receptions for 500 yards and one touchdown for the Seahawks last season. Fant praised Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow with a social media post on X a few years ago. "Joe Brrrr. Joe Shiesty. Joe Mama. Whatever you call him, he’s the real deal," Fant tweeted as the Bengals were rallying past the Chiefs for a 27-24 victory in the AFC Championship Game. Fant reportedly has multiple suitors, but he is clearly intrigued by the possibility of joining an offense led by Burrow and Chase. Check out the NFL's official transaction wire below:
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has stirred up a whirlwind, looking to fulfill his priority of bringing a frontline starter to New York. In his latest round of relentless phone calls, MLB insider Jon Heyman reports that Cashman spoke to San Diego Padres general manager, A.J. Preller, about two-time Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease. Cease has been a source of interest for MLB teams since 2022, when he pitched to a spectacular 2.20 ERA with 227 strikeouts in 184 innings, coming second in the Cy Young voting. Landing with the Padres last season, Cease again flashed potential, tossing to a 3.47 ERA with 224 strikeouts through 189.1 innings of work. That year, he placed fourth in Cy Young voting. But as much as Cease is talented, he is also flawed. In 2023, just after his best year, Cease posted a lackluster 4.58 ERA, and this season has been no better. Through 113.2 innings this year, Cease owns a 4.59 ERA with 144 strikeouts. Cease has been quite the strikeout artist since his debut, but the rest of his results haven’t always been that good. His 42 walks and 16 home runs surrendered on the year make him a risky bet. According to Heyman, the Yankees are one of four teams that have “checked in” on Cease. He notes that trading Cease is a long shot since the Padres are in contention, but they still may be inclined to do so as he is in the last year of his contract. One might also add that his performance this year probably won’t help them reach the World Series. For the Yankees, or any other interested team for that matter, dealing prospects or players for a slumping half-year rental might not be the best idea. Still, the Padres might just receive a decent haul for Cease since the market for spotless, front-line aces is non-existent at this trade deadline.
It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that through two days of training camp, the Vikings' defense appears to be pretty far ahead of the offense. Brian Flores is now in his third season as Minnesota's defensive coordinator, and many of his key players have been in the scheme since he arrived. Others are now in their second year, and even some of the newcomers seem to have picked things up quickly over the course of this offseason. Meanwhile, the Vikings are breaking in an offense with a new starting quarterback (and a new backup), as well as some new pieces on the offensive line and elsewhere. Expected or not, my main takeaway from Thursday's practice was how impressive this defense already looks. On a beautiful 80-degree day at TCO Performance Center, Flores' group appeared to be in mid-camp form, if not ready for the regular season to begin already. That was also the case on Wednesday, when they snagged a pair of pick-sixes on the first day of camp. The lone interception on Thursday went to 14th-year safety Harrison Smith, the league's active leader in picks by a healthy margin. In a 7-on-7 period, he snagged a J.J. McCarthy pass that deflected off of Lucky Jackson's hands, then — in humorous Smith fashion — proceeded to lateral it to teammate Jay Ward shortly thereafter. So many different members of the first-team defense stood out at least once. Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Harrison Phillips blew up run plays and got into the backfield. Jonathan Greenard roasted tackles with speed off the edge. Blake Cashman burst unblocked through a gap on a blitz for a would-be sack. Ivan Pace Jr. did the same off a stunt. Isaiah Rodgers made a great play to break up a McCarthy back-shoulder ball intended for Rondale Moore (who, at 5'7", probably won't be the recipient of many back-shoulder targets in game action). The Vikings were second in defensive DVOA last season, and I don't think there's any question that they got better — at least on paper — over the course of the offseason. That doesn't guarantee more dominance this season. But it's hard not to get excited about a defense that has a chance to be incredible up front with Allen, Hargrave, Phillips, Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Cashman, and Pace. If the secondary reaches its potential, Flores could be cooking with all kinds of gas this season. That context is also why no one should panic if McCarthy and the offense aren't particularly sharp over the course of training camp. This defense might just be better than any they'll see over the entire regular season. Here are some other notes from Thursday's practice. Jeff Okudah is a player to watch. He's the No. 3 corner with the first-team defense right now, alongside Byron Murphy Jr. and Rodgers. The former No. 3 overall pick is on his fourth team in as many seasons, but he's only 26 years old, and if anyone is going to help him revive his career, it feels like Flores and Daronte Jones could be the coaches to do it. Okudah is physical and not afraid to come up in run support, which he did for a would-be TFL in this practice. Mekhi Blackmon has been working with the second-team defense so far. I think I'm obligated by law to comment on McCarthy's performance, even if just for a few sentences, every day throughout camp. I thought he was fine on Thursday, but maybe a bit more shaky than on Day 1. There was the INT to Smith. He also sailed a ball over Justin Jefferson's head when trying to layer an intermediate throw early in practice, which led to a discussion with Kevin O'Connell and others while watching the replay. But McCarthy also completed plenty of passes, most of them of the short variety. He's shown quite the rapport with Jordan Addison, who was his top target in this practice after Jefferson departed (more on that in a second). McCarthy's fastball is impressive, and he used it to connect with players like Addison, Jalen Nailor, and even rookie Tai Felton late in practice. His best throw of the day was an intermediate out route to Addison, who was covered tightly by Theo Jackson. Jefferson sat out most of the team drills out of precaution after experiencing some minor tightness in his legs following a leaping catch. You can read more on that here, but the key thing to emphasize is that it's nothing significant or concerning. Josh Metellus, whose full participation in Wednesday's practice was a story due to his contract situation, watched practice from the sideline on Thursday due to what the Vikings described as a minor ankle issue. It'll be interesting to see if Nos. 18 and/or 44 are out there on Friday. Some of the depth guys on the defensive line will be fun to track over the course of camp. Levi Drake Rodriguez goes 110 percent all the time and ended up in the backfield on a couple plays, including one where he wound up on the ground near Sam Howell's legs (which coaches don't like). Jalen Redmond burst through the line for a TFL at one point. On another rep, Gabriel Murphy and rookie Elijah Williams put pressure on Max Brosmer, who got a few snaps in this practice after not seeing any on Wednesday. Brosmer, by the way, attempted the longest throw of the day, but it was just out of the reach of a well-covered Dontae Fleming. More Vikings coverage
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