Forward Jonathan Kuminga has demanded a trade from the Golden State Warriors, ESPN reported Thursday.
Under restrictions of Kuminga’s contract, Thursday is the first day he can be traded, even though the Warriors essentially already have moved on from him.
The trade deadline is Feb. 5.
Kuminga was a starter the first 12 games of the season, but head coach Steve Kerr moved him to the bench Nov. 12 for a game against the San Antonio Spurs after a subpar stretch of three contests.
The 23-year-old has not played in the past 13 games as Kerr has tried out other players to best complement stars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III as the Warriors try to make a run in the Western Conference.
“I’m disappointed for him that things didn’t continue to go the way they did the first couple of weeks,” Kerr said recently, per ESPN.
Golden State re-signed Kuminga, who was a restricted free agent, over the summer. But Kuminga was not happy with the circumstances when he signed the two-year, $46.8 million deal.
Only the first year is guaranteed — next season is a $24.3 million option — so teams that might look to acquire Kuminga can consider what is an expiring contract.
The Warriors are said to be looking for an expiring contract that can come off the books this summer in return unless they receive an offer they can’t refuse.
On the season, Kuminga is averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 18 games (13 starts).
Since the Warriors selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he has appeared in 276 games (97 starts) with averages of 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
