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ATLANTA — For as noisy as Jonathan Kuminga’s tenure with the Warriors became, his first matchup against Golden State was about as quiet as possible.
Maybe the loudest moment happened after the final horn, when he wrapped his arms around his former teammates and coaches before having an extended chat with Steph Curry.
“I still got great friendships and connections, like they’re my brothers,” Kuminga said at his locker postgame.
Kuminga’s Hawks destroyed the Warriors, 126-110, to continue Golden State’s spiral with Curry sidelined. The Warriors have dropped 10 of their last 12 games and are a season-worst five games below .500 at 33-38.
As for Kuminga? The 23-year-old former seventh overall pick scored two points on 1-for-9 shooting, adding four rebounds, two assists, and two turnovers.
Two-thousand miles away, in the Bay Area, those watching the game must’ve felt some type of way — split into two camps, like they have been for years. Stans or opps. Truthers or skeptics.
Saturday was Kuminga’s first game against the Warriors, the team that drafted him. It was also officially time, probably past due, for everyone to flush pent-up frustration out of their systems.
You can simply applaud watching others achieve success. The people in the Warriors’ locker room and in their executive suites, are ready for that when it comes to Kuminga. It’s about time that everyone else joins that wave.
It wasn’t going to work for Kuminga with Golden State. He joined a championship team instead of a typical lottery squad in which he could more freely play through mistakes. He hadn’t played much high-level basketball, and he wasn’t on the same experience timeline as his teammates. He was on a different priority timeline, a different skill timeline, a different maturity timeline.
Kuminga became a lightning rod of discussion for the Warriors’ fan base. In one corner, believers were convinced Steve Kerr was holding him back. In the other, ire for the organization that held onto a developmental project too long while trying to compete.
“We couldn’t quite offer him what he needed, and vice versa,” Kerr said pregame. “He needed, really, a lot of freedom, and 35 minutes, to make mistakes and grow and learn. Because he came in with very little experience. And we just couldn’t offer him that, bottom line. Trying to defend a championship his rookie year, so we offered him what we could, which was 25 minutes and maybe a role that he didn’t love. And it was never comfortable for either party on the basketball floor.
“On a personal level, he’s great. Really good guy. Got along well. We had our share of conversations about basketball that we had our differences. But on a personal level, we all root for him here.”
One round after another, warring Warriors factions sparred online. Kuminga’s reported loss of faith in Kerr (opens in new tab)two years ago was a jab. Kerr’s occasional public criticism a hook. An uppercut for Kuminga stepping up in last season’s Western Conference semifinals. Body blows via DNP-CDs.
There was the summer contract standoff, public negotiation from Kuminga’s agent, an eventual trade demand, and an uneasy final chapter. All fanning flames of toxicity around Kuminga’s career.
It’s over now. The Bay can put its swords down. Kuminga is Atlanta’s concern, one way or another.
There’s a popular app called Brick that helps people reduce screen time and avoid distractions by nerfing their phones. Kuminga’s trade from Golden State to Atlanta is like that: it’s an easy opportunity to opt-out of Kuminga discourse. It’s a chance for everybody involved to take a beat and touch grass.
Much of the stress surrounding Kuminga within Warriors circles was legitimate. There certainly was tumult. Scar tissue built up over the course of five seasons. But now it’s nice to turn the page. No one has to obsess over single game plus/minus numbers, debate about what makes a winning player, or speculate on Kuminga’s relationship with Kerr.
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We can even leave the family-room food jokes (opens in new tab) behind, too.
Before the game, Kuminga embraced Anthony Vereen, the Warriors assistant coach he was closest with. He interrupted his pregame warm up to catch up with his pal Gui Santos and bear-hug Brandin Podziemski.
Kuminga projected a calm jolly in the Hawks’ home locker room. Buddy Hield, who was also traded to Atlanta, joked that his box score was going to end up as 30-7-7.
Hield’s prediction was a bit off. Kuminga missed his first eight shots, including an airballed 3-pointer and a runner that careened off the side of the backboard. (No, obviously, he wasn’t a decoy (opens in new tab)).
It was the type of performance that would fuel many Warriors fans’ ire and get ignored by others.
There’s no real point in continuing that dynamic.
“I am not worried about the past,” Kuminga said. “I’m here. I’m very happy right now. We’re doing great…So whatever’s being said or whatever’s going on, that’s not my problem anymore. I’m onto my next chapter with my teammates. We’re trying to build something here.”
Since the Warriors traded Kuminga and Hield for Kristaps Porzingis, Mike Dunleavy’s barb about the deal involving two players who have struggled to stay on the floor has been prescient. Porzingis has played seven games for the Warriors, same as Kuminga for the Hawks.
Kuminga’s tenure with the Hawks has been, so far, par for the course for his career. He’s had some good games, some poor ones, and he’s been on the injury report quite a bit.
But how Kuminga performs with the Hawks, or his future destinations, shouldn’t be fodder for some referendum about who the Warriors are as a franchise. Golden State walking away from its sunk cost fallacy should allow it the freedom to pursue new opportunities without being tied down by past decisions.
Kuminga is gone, and Saturday’s game was closure. The Warriors have moved on, and so has Kuminga.
The camps should, too.
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