Jonathan Kuminga’s form after returning from a seven-game absence may have put a final nail in the coffin of his Golden State Warriors career, with the young forward again left out of Steve Kerr’s rotation on Monday night against the Orlando Magic.

After starting the season in promising fashion, Kuminga’s injury and subsequent form has put him on a one-way trip off the Warriors once he becomes trade eligible on January 15.

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Kuminga’s latest benching comes only shortly after he returned to the rotation for one game, having played less than 10 minutes in Thursday’s 99-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately the 23-year-old couldn’t make his mark, recording just two points and four rebounds on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor.

Perhaps Kuminga would have retained his limited minutes in Saturday’s return meeting against the Suns at Chase Center, only to be ruled out through illness. Given the Warriors won that game which ended a three-game losing streak, head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t about to rush Kuminga back into minutes.

Kuminga joined Buddy Hield as the only two active players who didn’t play on Monday night, or at least until the final minutes in garbage time when the veteran sharpshooter finally saw the floor (and Kuminga notably didn’t).

Pat Spencer, Gui Santos, Gary Payton II, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Will Richard all played above their more credentialed teammates, and it proved the right decision as the Warriors, after a back-and-forth game for nearly three-quarters, eventually took control against the Magic to claim a dominant 120-93 victory.

Monday’s rotation likely signifies what Golden State’s plans are before the trade deadline — use Kuminga and Hield’s combined over $31 million in salary, along with some draft capital, to find a legitimate upgrade that can bridge them closer to the top tier of teams in the Western Conference.

There’s been multiple reports of the Warriors exploring moves involving Kuminga, including from long-time NBA insider Marc Stein on Sunday.

“All signs continue to point to a Jonathan Kuminga trade of some sort before the deadline once Kuminga becomes trade-eligible on Jan. 15,” Stein wrote.

The good news for Golden State is that, according to Stein’s colleague Jake Fischer on Tuesday, the next few weeks won’t change Kuminga’s valuation among rival teams. It’s a shame that Kuminga’s positive early season form couldn’t be sustained, but this was always likely to be the outcome from the moment he eventually re-signed with the Warriors in restricted free agency.