Jonathan Kuminga’s Warriors Future Gets Bleak Prediction After Surprising Benching

Kuminga is a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning the Warriors will have the chance to match any offer sheet he receives. 

But, Warriors insiders  Tim Kawakami, Marcus Thompson and Anthony Slater discussed Kuminga's future on an episode of the "Warriors Plus Minut" podcast on Sunday night, and they revealed a bleak prediction for the big man. 

“It feels like this is the end of the era,” said Thompson, who covers the Warriors for The Athletic. “If you’re Kuminga, you’re like, ‘I’m not coming back to a coach that doesn’t believe in me.’”

Slater also added that “there’s definitely some sour feelings" with Kuminga, so it might be a sign of what is to come in the summer. 

Regarding Sunday's benching, Warriors coach Steve Kerr did shed some light on the decision, although it doesn't exactly scream confidence one bit. 

"We've just found a group since Jimmy got here that we're pretty comfortable with... Both he [Gui Santos] and JK have been really impactful players for us," Kerr said.

"It doesn't mean they're out of the loop going forward, this is just how this game played out," Kerr added. 

On the year, Kuminga is averaging 15.3 points with 4.6 rebounds per game, and the Warriors could've used that on Sunday in a 124-119 loss to the Clippers in the Bay. 

Kuminga was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, although his time with the Warriors has been up-and-down. 

For now, things do not look promising for Kuminga's future with the Warriors, and it will be interesting to see how Kerr handles him in the rotation during the postseason.