With the NBA trade deadline just over one week away, there is increased uncertainty around the direction the Warriors are headed.<\/p>\n
It is evident that Golden State, currently 26-22 and eighth in the Western Conference, must shake some things up if it wants to compete in the stacked West, especially after the season-ending injury to Steph Curry’s right-hand man, Jimmy Butler.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Kuminga has been the name most brought up in the trade rumor mill, especially after he requested a trade<\/a> earlier this month. But the Warriors might have to reconvene their Kuminga plan after Butler’s ACL injury.<\/a><\/p>\n The Warriors now are “less likely” to move Kuminga at the Feb. 5 deadline following the injury to Butler, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported<\/a> in a column published Tuesday, citing multiple team sources.<\/p>\n Before Butler’s injury, the disgruntled young wing was a DNP-CD (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) for 16 consecutive games. He fell back out of Steve Kerr’s rotation and a divorce never seemed more imminent.<\/p>\n But with Butler sidelined, Kerr turned back to Kuminga<\/a> before the 23-year-old sustained a bone bruise<\/a> in his left knee. He will be reevaluated in the next few days, but there’s some optimism he could return before next week’s deadline, Slater reported, citing team sources, while a decision about his future in the Bay must be made.<\/p>\n The Kings have been one of the teams interested in Kuminga dating back months, but there hasn’t been any recent traction in those talks, Slater reported, citing league sources.<\/p>\n So, despite Kuminga’s wish to pack his bags and start somewhere fresh, it appears more and more likely that he could remain a Warrior beyond next week.<\/p>\n