NBA
Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga said ‘I’ve never got that chance’ to be a star in the NBA
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated7 hours ago on June 25, 2025
Last season, the Warriors finished 48-34 and battled to make the playoffs through the play-in tournament. As the seventh seed, it took Golden State seven games to beat the #2-seed Rockets.Â
In the second round, the Warriors lost in five games to the Timberwolves. This offseason, one Warriors player is making the future of his career a priority. Jonathan Kuminga is a restricted free agent ahead of the 2025-26 season. Speaking with Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Kuminga said, “I’ve never got that chance” to be a star in the NBA. It sounds like the 22-year-old wants to part ways with the Warriors.
Will Jonathan Kuminga play for the Warriors next season?
Jonathan Kuminga said he never had the chance to prove himself
“I feel like I’m at the point where that has to be my priority, to just be one of the guys a team relies on. Aiming to be an All-Star. Multiple times. Aiming to be great. … Wherever I’m going to be at, it don’t… pic.twitter.com/Kr1fgAyzah
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 25, 2025
With the 7th pick in the 2021 NBA draft, the Warriors selected Jonathan Kuminga out of the G League Ignite. As a rookie, Kuminga played in 70 games and made 12 starts for Golden State. During the 2022 playoffs, Kuminga played in 16 games and made three starts. Golden State won the title, and Kuminga became a champion in his first season. The young PF took a step forward offensively at the end of his 2022-23 campaign.
Andrew Wiggins missed the last two months of the season, and Kuminga made the most of the playing time he was given. While Wiggins was away, Kuminga averaged 14.2 points on 57 percent shooting from the field. Once Wiggins returned to the lineup, Jonathan Kuminga’s playing time disappeared. In 2023-24, Jonathan Kuminga averaged a career-high 16.1 points and made 46 starts for the Warriors. Unfortunately, Kuminga suffered an ankle sprain this past season and missed 31 straight games.
By the time he returned, the Warriors had already traded for Jimmy Butler. Head coach Steve Kerr admitted it was tough to play Butler and Kuminga at the same time. Jimmy Butler averages over 30+ minutes per game. Leaving limited playing time for Kuminga. That’s why the 22-year-old plans to test restricted free agency this summer.
Jonathan Kuminga wants to play on a team where he has a consistent role. That hasn’t been the case in his four seasons with the Warriors. Recently, Kuminga spoke with Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State’s PF said, “I’ve never got that chance” to be a star in the NBA. He told Slater he wants to be a multi-time all-star and a player that the team can rely on. Will that be with the Warriors or another team in 2025-26?
