Jonathan Kuminga has remained planted on the Warriors’ bench over the last month. The 23-year-old forward has been a healthy scratch in Golden State’s last 13 games, and has not seen action since Dec. 18.
Though Kuminga got off to a hot start this season, he was unable to sustain it and has instead been sidelined for much of the last month-and-a half.
“I’m just gonna to say, it’s a difficult situation,” Kerr told 95.7 The Game on Wednesday. “I think you guys know it. Everybody knows it. You know I’m just gonna leave it at that, it’s a difficult situation.”
Steve Kerr on what’s going on with Jonathan Kuminga ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/oDbeYmiTnR
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 15, 2026
“It’s just wait and see,” Kerr also said. “We have to control what we can control and try to keep moving the ship forward. This is not an easy situation. It’s not an easy one to talk about, frankly. I try to protect everybody organizationally and nobody’s winning right now with this situation and it’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
Kerr acknowledged last week that Kuminga hasn’t been playing because they feel good about their starting lineup and rotation. He did say “it can change,” but it does not appear that a return to the court is imminent.
“I’m disappointed for him that things didn’t continue to go the way they did the first couple of weeks,” Kerr said last Friday. “At the same time, it was going to be tricky to start JK, Jimmy and Draymond at the two, three and four. I think anybody can see that’s a tough combination, just based on shooting. Sometimes Steph can offset every spacing obstacle in your way—he’s that good—but in the modern NBA, I think it’s tough to do that. And I think we recognize that. We gave that lineup several weeks, and eventually the weaknesses of the lineup were exposed, and that’s why we went in a different direction.”
Steve Kerr on Jonathan Kuminga:
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 10, 2026
"I'm disappointed for JK that things didn't continue to go the way they did the first couple of weeks. At the same time it was going to be tricky to start JK, Jimmy, Draymond — anybody can see that's a tough combination." https://t.co/pWo6DURs2m pic.twitter.com/1RBZimjF9o
Kuminga will become trade-eligible on Thursday, and is largely expected to be dealt before the Feb. 5 deadline. Per The Stein Line, the Kings reportedly are among the teams interested in Kuminga, and the Bulls, Mavericks and Lakers could also makes sense as landing spots for him as well. If Kuminga does get traded to another franchise, he should get the opportunity for a greater role that h
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
- Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Steph Curry, Spurs, Warriors, Kon Knueppel)
- Mike Brown Calls Out Karl-Anthony Towns for Lack of Hustle After Latest Knicks Loss
- Cooper Flagg Leaves Mavericks Game Against Nuggets With Sprained Ankle
- Cavaliers’ Darius Garland Exits Game at 76ers With Foot Injury
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Warriors’ Steve Kerr Got Brutally Honest on ‘Difficult’ Jonathan Kuminga Situation.
