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As both the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga try to increase his trade value, the forward is dealing with an injury.
Golden State announced on Sunday that Kuminga suffered a bone bruise against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday and he will be re-evaluated in the coming days:
Kuminga was shaken up on a fastbreak during Thursday’s matchup against the Mavericks. After sitting down for a moment, he exited to the locker room a few minutes later.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Kuminga is dealing with an ankle twist and minor knee hyperextension. The Warriors ruled him out for the remainder of the contest.
The injury comes in just Kuminga’s second game back since being out of the rotation for more than a month. Before playing in Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, he had not played since Dec. 18, despite being healthy.
In his return to action on Tuesday, he posted 20 points and five boards in 21 minutes. He had 10 points in nine minutes before exiting on Thursday.
Kuminga demanded a trade last week once he became eligible to be dealt, a move that was expected after months of turmoil between him and the Warriors.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported ahead of Thursday’s game that Kuminga has not changed his mind about wanting a trade despite being inserted back into the rotation.
“Kuminga has no desire to remain a member of the Golden State Warriors,” Haynes said.
Haynes noted that Kuminga is expected to get increased minutes in the coming weeks, and the team even considered putting him in the starting lineup on Thursday, though it ultimately opted to bring him off the bench.
Haynes described the increased minutes as the chance for “a bit of a brief showcase” for Kuminga, though it’s also worth noting that Golden State is in need of a reliable wing since Jimmy Butler is out for the year with a torn ACL.
Given his lack of playing time, Kuminga’s trade value certainly isn’t in the best place, but a few strong outings before the Feb. 8 trade deadline could help his chances of being moved.
Of course, any team interested in Kuminga will be dialed in to his injury status.