[Amick] Multiple team sources said they suspect Kuminga wasn’t actually hurt. ‘I wouldn’t have played either,’ said one Warriors player, given anonymity in exchange for candor. ‘It’s clear the coach doesn’t believe in him.’”
Kuminga’s absence certainly raised some eyebrows across the league, and frustration within the Warriors’ organization. Multiple team sources said they suspect Kuminga wasn’t actually hurt.
“I wouldn’t have played either,” said one Warriors player, given anonymity in exchange for candor. “It’s clear the coach doesn’t believe in him.”
For nearly two weeks, Kuminga has been a non-existent presence within the Warriors locker room, at least in the windows of media access. Early in the season, the aura of the young forward was a staple before and especially after games. He could almost always be found at his locker, joking with teammates, conversing with the media. But since that Jan. 2 game, he’s been a ghost. Kuminga sits on the bench during games and then seems to vanish.
The Warriors, who have a team option for the second season on Kuminga’s deal, have lost significant negotiating leverage since the summer, in large part, because of their inability to showcase his potential. All those DNP-CDs for Kuminga, on top of the strained nature of his relationship with the organization, have emboldened suitors to lower their price point on a possible deal.