Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) warms up before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia 76ers are set to find themselves in a predicament during the offseason, as their starting power forward, Guerschon Yabusele, is set to become an unrestricted free agent. The Frenchman managed to become a key part of Nick Nurse’s plans, appearing in 70 games in which he averaged 11 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Luckily for the Sixers’ front office, there are a few players set to hit the free agency market, whom they could target in the event that Yabusele departs, with Jonathan Kuminga being one of them. Kuminga is currently in the last year of his rookie contract with the Golden State Warriors, making him a restricted free agent, meaning the Warriors can match any offer in an attempt to retain the 22-year-old.
This season has been a bit of a down year for the former G League Ignite star, as his presence on the court has been hampered by a sprained ankle, which kept him out of 31 games this season.
Jan 2, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) passes over Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images
By the time he fully recovered, the Warriors’ roster had changed as the front office went out and acquired former Sixer Jimmy Butler at the deadline. This forced Golden State head coach Steve Kerr to shuffle his lineup around, which meant Kuminga getting fewer minutes upon his return.
This is something that Kerr recently touched on, feeling remorse for the 22-year-old, explaining that the lineups he created while Kuminga was out were successful for the Warriors.
“Mostly, I feel for JK [Kuminga], because I like him. He’s been here for four years, he’s a talented guy. Sometimes things go in a different direction. I think what happened here is pretty obvious; I’ve talked about it. Jimmy Butler came in…” Kerr said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “We found a really good formula when JK was injured, and we got Jimmy. I think we went 18-2 or something right away. So we found lineup combinations that have clicked, and we’re winning, and we have to stick with that.”
Diving deeper into the game time numbers, prior to his injury Kuminga was averaging 26 minutes per game, which is considerably more than the roughly 20 minutes he was receiving upon his return. Kerr is adamant about finding him a spot in the Warriors’ system for their upcoming series against the Houston Rockets.
“It’s brutal for JK, it really is. He’s a young player, he wants to play, and he’s absolutely talented enough to play. He still may be a part of the equation in this series and maybe the next series after that,” explained Kerr. “So we just have to keep plugging away and keep moving forward, and he’s doing a good job of that, and I definitely feel for him.”
