Warriors HC Steve Kerr not ruling out Jonathan Kuminga trade

The Warriors reportedly failed to land Paul George this offseason due to their reluctance to trade Jonathan Kuminga. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Clippers and Warriors had a deal in place until the latter "resisted" moving Kuminga. George would subsequently sign with the Sixers as a free agent. 

The ESPN report led many to believe Kuminga had been assigned the "untouchable" tag franchises place upon their cornerstones and young stars. However, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shot down the notion Thursday in an interview with 95.7 The Game. He emphasized that every member of the Warriors roster was available in trade talks except Stephen Curry. 

"First of all, you have to understand, there's very few players in the league who are not talked about in trade discussions," Kerr said. "Steph Curry is not being discussed in trade talks. Everybody else is. And if you went down the list of teams, the Lakers probably are not talking to anybody about LeBron [James]. Everybody's got maybe one or two guys who are off the table. So the vast majority of the players in the NBA, the players are constantly going to be discussed in trade talks, because everyone's trying to do the same thing, which is improve."

When asked specifically about Kuminga's status as a trade chip, Kerr said he's "excited" about coaching the fourth-year forward in the 2024-25 NBA season. 

"We love the strides he has taken. He's got room to grow, which is exciting," Kerr said of Kuminga. 

It's rather telling that Kerr — who wields a lot of influence in the Warriors front office — didn't categorically rule out a trade involving Kuminga. Kerr's comments could also be a giveaway of Golden State being open to dealing Kuminga to the Jazz for prized All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. According to ESPN's Tim McMahon, the Jazz are seeking Kuminga to consider parting with Markkanen.

Kuminga, 21, averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his third season with the Warriors.