PHOENIX – Facing a room packed with reporters, live recorders and rolling cameras at Mortgage Matchup Center a few hours after Thursday’s trade deadline, Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed regret over how things turned out after the Warriors dealt Jonathan Kuminga.
On Thursday evening, the Warriors agreed to terms with the Hawks, sending Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis.
No draft picks were involved in the swap that was officially announced on Friday afternoon.
It marked the end of Kuminga’s uneven four-and-a-half year tenure with the Warriors.
“I’m hopeful he can take what he’s learned through his experience, the ups and downs, the good and bad, and transfer that to his next opportunity and seize that opportunity, whatever that means and whatever the circumstances are,” Kerr said.
While he showed flashes of becoming a difference-maker on the wing after being picked No. 7 overall in the 2021 draft, the 23-year-old was never able to lock down a consistent starting spot with the Warriors.
Part of that had to do with the team’s unwillingness to let Kuminga, who entered the NBA as a raw 18-year-old with only one year of G-League experience, to make the kinds of mistakes he was bound to make.
Kerr acknowledged that Kuminga just was not a good fit, noting that both coach and executives should shoulder blame for how the situation panned out.
“Organizationally, the right path for us and him, it was always tricky to navigate, and we all share in that, myself included,” Kerr said. “He was undoubtedly put in some tough spots coming to a championship team as a rookie, a team that was continuing to try to compete at the highest level, and got here with very little experience. That’s a tough thing to reconcile, and I wish I had done a better job of making that happen.”
While Kerr expressed regret over how Kuminga’s tenure unfolded and ultimately ended, he was also quite optimistic about the team’s newest addition.
Porzingis has long been one of the NBA’s premier stretch centers, shooting 36.6% from 3-point range while being an elite rim protector.
Even though his health – Porzingis has only played in 17 games this season – will forever be a concern for the 7-foot-2 big man, Kerr believed he can be an impact player for the Warriors.
“He’s an established player, the kind of player we’ve been looking for years for,” Kerr said. “I don’t think we would have made the trade if we didn’t think he could be healthy and consistent in terms of being in the lineup.”
Kerr said he hopes Porzingis will join the team on Saturday when they play at the Lakers, but does not expect him to suit up against LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
With the deal for Porzingis official – and the swap that sent Trayce Jackson-Davis to Toronto for a second round pick expected to be set in stone soon – the Warriors (27-24) can now move on with the season, one that Kerr stills sees as possibly ending with a deep playoff run despite Jimmy Butler’s ACL tear.
“I’m not going to sit here and lie and say we can be as good as we were with Jimmy, there’s no way,” Kerr said. “But I believe in these guys, I believe in the chemistry, and I believe in the veteran leadership. If we have good health, I think we can make a really good push and be a playoff team, and when you’re a playoff team, you never know how it plays out.”
However, Kerr said that while some players may feel relief with the deadline’s passing, the mood of the team during Friday morning’s shootaround was one of “sadness.” Both Hield and Trayce Jackson-Davis were beloved presences in the locker room..
“It’s one of the weirdest things about this profession, is that you become really close with someone, and you’re with them literally every day, all day for a season, maybe for two or three years or longer, and then all of a sudden, it’s just (over),” Kerr said.
Steph Curry injury update
Steph Curry is still dealing with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (runner’s knee), and the injury kept him out of Friday’s game against the Suns and his longtime antagonist Dillon Brooks.
De’Anthony Melton showed up as questionable with a sore left knee – the same knee he tore his ACL in 2024 – but Kerr said the combo guard would be available against Phoenix.
The Suns were without star Devin Booker, who was ruled out with a right ankle sprain, and NorCal native Jalen Green (hamstring/hip) was also out..
Jimmy Butler surgery date
A few minutes before Friday’s shootaround, the Warriors announced that Jimmy Butler will undergo ACL surgery in Los Angeles on Feb. 9.
Dr. Bert R. Mandelbaum, who is based in Santa Monica, will operate on Butler, who tore his ACL on Jan. 19 against the Miami Heat.
In 38 starts, Butler averaged 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
Leave a Reply