Warriors forward wasted no time demanding a trade

With the calendar turning to Jan. 15, 11 NBA players are now eligible to be traded.

One of them is Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and the 23-year-old didn’t waste any time demanding a trade from Golden State, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

“On the first day he becomes eligible to be moved, fifth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga has demanded a trade away from the Golden State Warriors, league sources tell ESPN.”

In the offseason, Kuminga signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal, which means he wasn’t eligible to be traded until Jan. 15.

However, it has been a rocky tenure since he was selected by the Warriors at No. 7 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Kuminga reportedly had issues with head coach Steve Kerr, but he did start the first 12 games of the 2025-26 season.

As of Thursday, Kuminga has played in just 18 games with 13 starts, and he has been out since December 19. The 23-year-old has a $24.3 million team option for next season, so interested teams could hope he picks up the option or view him as a rental for a playoff run.

Charania added that the Warriors are “prioritizing expiring contracts” in exchange for Kuminga, and teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans were recently linked as potential suitors.

The 2023-24 season was Kuminga’s best since coming into the league. He averaged 16.1 PPG with 4.8 rebounds in 74 games, so perhaps a change of scenery is best for both sides at this point.

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5, so it will be worth watching to see if this Kuminga saga finally ends.