Jonathan Kuminga Allegedly Faked Injury Amid Warriors Trade Rumors: Report

The day is finally here, in which Jonathan Kuminga can officially be traded from the Golden State Warriors in what has been one of the most lengthy and intriguing storylines in recent NBA memory.

Along with the fact that the Warriors have both scoured the trade market for a Kuminga deal while head coach Steve Kerr kept him on the bench, seemingly only dropping his trade value, a new report on the Kuminga-Golden State saga signals something a bit darker.

According to Sam Amick, Marcus Thompson, and Nick Friedell of The Athletic, sources within the Warriors believe Kuminga was allegedly faking an injury amid his benching and the swirling of trade rumors surrounding his name over the past few months.

“Kuminga’s absence certainly raised some eyebrows across the league, and frustration within the Warriors’ organization,” the insiders wrote. “Multiple team sources said they suspect Kuminga wasn’t actually hurt.”

Kuminga hasn’t played since December 18th. In 18 games this season, he’s put up averages of 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 43.1% shooting, but with him now eligible to be traded, the assumption is that he’ll never step foot on the court in a Warriors jersey again.

Kuminga Allegedly Faked Injury Amid Warriors Trade Rumors

While it’s hard to say who has handled the situation worse, Kuminga has been credited for how he’s taken everything in stride. It was only reported today by Shams Charania that Kuminga has demanded a trade, and while that was seemingly the case over the past few months, the 23-year-old wing never spoke out against his current team or his situation.

However, that shouldn’t shadow the recent report from The Athletic, suggesting that Kuminga faked an injury while he has been sidelined. There were both reports that he was dealing with a real injury, as well as the fact that Kerr simply chose not play him on multiple occasions in the past, so it’s hard to decipher a definitive truth.

“I wouldn’t have played either,” an anonymous Warriors player told The Athletic. “It’s clear the coach doesn’t believe in him.”

According to Fox Sports, with a database on all the reported injuries on each NBA player, Kuminga has been out this season with knee and ankle injuries early in the season, and most recently with an illness.

Kerr has spoken about not playing the wing player on multiple occasions over the last few months, recently repeating his sentiment that Kuminga doesn’t fit well on their current roster.

“I’m disappointed for him that things didn’t continue to go the way they did the first couple of weeks,” Kerr said. “At the same time, it was going to be tricky to start JK, Jimmy and Draymond at the two, three and four. I think anybody can see that’s a tough combination, just based on shooting.”

However, as seen with Theo Johnson of the New York Giants, the reported Kuminga illness could be a sign of something else. Johnson was seen at a New York Knicks game while on the Giants’ injury report with an illness, but he denied the claim that he was sick, signaling that the football team was hoping to sit a few of their players to land the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which they did not.

Regardless, that now all appears in the past, as the assumption is Kuminga will be traded as soon as Golden State finds the right deal.

Jonathan Kuminga Trade Rumors, Potential Landing Spots

Though perhaps the least surprising news in recent NBA memory, Charania and Anthony Slater jointly reported that Kuminga is finally ready to be traded, which, whether a coincidence or not, came on the day he can officially be moved, based on the contract extension he signed with the Warriors over the summer.

In their report, much like the one done by The Athletic, the ESPN insiders detailed his ‘roller coaster‘ past few months in the Bay Area, and like everyone expected, added that he and the team expect the relationship to end sometime before the February 5th trade deadline, despite a brief report that the Warriors wouldn’t rule out keeping him for the rest of the season.

“The Warriors’ decision-makers have also given zero assurances to any team that Kuminga will be traded prior to the deadline, despite the dynamics at play, believing it could prove better business to push the decision to the summer,” they wrote. “Rival executives said they believe that stance is a bluff and Kuminga will be moved.”

Charania and Slater named the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks as potential landing spots for Kuminga in a trade, as well as mentioning recent reported interest by the Los Angeles Lakers. Additionally, NBA insider Sam Quinn of CBS Sports had those three franchises, along with the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets, as potential trade suitors.

Despite rumors, talks between Golden State and the Nets on a deal for Michael Porter Jr. appear to be off the table. Sacramento, considering its long-term interest, seems to be the top candidate, but with his benching and lack of recent play, the market for Kuminga across the entire league has dropped since the summer.

The Warriors have three weeks to find a Kuminga trade that brings in what they hope will be assets that turn them into a title contender with star Stephen Curry.

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