Here we go again.
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga demanded a trade Thursday, according to ESPN, continuing the contentious relationship between the talented 23-year-old and the team.
Thursday marked the first day that the Warriors are eligible to trade Kuminga since he re-signed as a restricted free agent in October.
The two-year, $46.8 million contract Kuminga signed less than four months ago ended an offseason-long standoff between the Warriors and the former No. 7 overall pick, who had little leverage.
Few teams possessed ample cap space to sign Kuminga, while the Warriors maintained the ability to match any offer he received due to his status as a restricted free agent.
The second season of Kuminga’s contract is a $24.3 million team option.
Kuminga is averaging 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 18 appearances, including 13 starts.
He averaged 15.3 points per game last season, but he started only 10 of his 47 appearances and hardly played in the Warriors’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets last postseason.
But the Warriors made it a priority to re-sign Kuminga, with many believing a trade before the Feb. 5 deadline was inevitable.
“I’m here now,” Kuminga said in October. “That’s everybody’s goal, to be somewhere for longer. You never know your future. So far that’s my goal. That’s what I want to accomplish. Being here for longer.”
Kuminga started each of the Warriors’ first 12 games this season, but he has since fallen out of their rotation.
Going into Thursday night’s meeting with the Knicks, Kuminga had missed 13 games in a row — including on Jan. 2 when he ruled himself out with a back injury.
“I’m disappointed for him that things didn’t continue to go the way they did the first couple of weeks,” head coach Steve Kerr said last weekend.
“At the same time, it was gonna be tricky to start J.K., Jimmy [Butler], Draymond [Green] at the 2, 3 and 4. I think anybody can see that’s a tough combination, in a five-man combination, based on shooting.”
The frontcourt-needy Warriors, who began Thursday with a 22-19 record, reportedly haven’t been in recent contact with the Nets or shown much interest in Michael Porter Jr., who is averaging 25.7 points per game.
The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks are reportedly among the teams interested in Kuminga, who is in his fifth NBA season.
