Jonathan Kuminga was the saga that would never end for the Golden State Warriors, and while he was predicted to be dealt for Giannis Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline, the 23-year-old was instead moved to the Atlanta Hawks with Buddy Hield in a move that saw Kristaps Porzingis head to the Bay Area.
But amid much of the speculation about his future, Kuminga was out with a bone bruise. He was previously sat for over a month by the Warriors, and though he returned after Jimmy Butler tore his ACL, the forward suffered an injury of his own just two games back into the lineup.
The Warriors had stayed quiet about a Kuminga injury update, but now, in Atlanta, his new team has finally given a potential timeline for his return.
“Forward Jonathan Kuminga, who sustained a left knee bone bruise while playing for Golden State at Dallas on Jan. 22, will be re-evaluated following the All-Star break and an update will be provided at that time,” the Hawks wrote in an official statement.
Jonathan Kuminga Injury Update And Return Timeline
While still on the Warriors, Kuminga went down with a knee injury in just 30 total minutes of playing time after returning to Golden State’s lineup following Butler’s torn ACL. The team initially listed the injury as a hyperextension, before then saying it was a bone bruise in his left knee.
Despite the initial announcement on his injury, previous updates on a potential return timeline were sparse. The Warriors announced that they would re-evaluate Kuminga in the coming days, but no further update was ever given.
At the same time, the forward was being shopped in trade rumors, so it makes sense that Golden State never announced an official timeline or the full extent of the injury.
But now, since he’s been traded to the Hawks, he would have been forced to go through a physical with his new team. Following the deal going through, Atlanta has now said it will re-evaluate him after the All-Star break.
His absence will be a tough blow for the Hawks, but as they already traded Trae Young and look to be moving forward with new franchise centerpiece and first-time All-Star Jalen Johnson, they appear to be heading for the lottery in hopes of starting fresh next season.
Steve Kerr On Jonathan Kuminga Warriors Trade
The saga with Kuminga in Golden State was tumultuous to say the least. After finally signing an extension with the Warriors late in the offseason, he had a strong start to the year, but was subsequently benched for what head coach Steve Kerr described as not fitting in the lineup.
On January 15th, the first day he became trade-eligible, Kuminga demanded a move from Golden State. While up until the Warriors made the late-night deal sending him and Hield out to Atlanta for Porzingis, there was different speculation about what his future held. Though there was a report from Anthony Slater that the team was interested in keeping the 23-year-old past the deadline, they did, in fact, move him, which creates a breath of fresh air for both sides.
In a statement given to ESPN after the trade, Kerr finally spoke about Kuminga, going against some of the notions that were reported about his relationship with the young player.
“I think it was a very tough situation for everybody, given how raw he was when he got here and given we were still playing for championships,” Kerr said, Anthony Slater. “He needed the runway to make more mistakes. He needed the experience of being in the NBA and understanding what it was about.”
Draymond Green also gave his thoughts on Kuminga’s tenure with the Warriors.
“First of all, I hope we were good vets to him and taught him how to be a pro,” Green said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “You hope that what he walked away with, regardless of how all of it went down, the guys whose wing I was under showed me the right way. And then I hope in going [to Atlanta] that he relishes the opportunity…And most importantly, I hope he becomes the player we all thought he would become here.”
Kuminga had always shown potentially, but it was never fully able to be reached on a Warriors team that was consistently competing for championships.
Now, whenever he returns healthy, Kuminga will likely have a bigger chance to grow and develop on the rebuilding Hawks.
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