Jonathan Kuminga’s relationship with the Golden State Warriors has hit rock bottom. Just hours after being trade-eligible on Thursday, the 23-year-old demanded that the team let him go. The youngster wished to see himself playing a bigger role in the 2025-26 NBA season. But his inconsistency in Year 5 has exposed a deeper issue: player development.

The Warriors have consistently developed young talents into championship-caliber stars on the court. They turned an “unreliable” kid from Davidson into the greatest shooter in basketball history and the centerpiece of a four-time championship dynasty. So what truly went wrong with Kuminga?

Paul Pierce marks the “red flags” in Jonathan Kuminga’s habits

Celtics legend and former NBA champion Paul Pierce explained Kuminga’s struggles, while making it clear he doesn’t question the forward’s talent. However, he’s out of rotation for the Dubs, and he’s probably going to be out of the team if they can find a feasible and profitable trade.

Now, Pierce comes from an era where players would actually run plays and make sure they knew the playbook by heart. Pierce pointed to an older era where players lived inside the playbook and understood every detail of their role.

“They don’t even run plays. You pretty much pick and roll, iso every time down.” So what is it that Kuminga is failing to pick up? Is it the defense? “I don’t know if it’s a thing between him and the coach and the players,” Pierce added.

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“There are definitely red flags here for me, because I feel like the kid can play,” Pierce doubled down on his concern. “But if I’m not on the inside seeing his practice habits, not seeing how he meshes with certain players, and obviously he doesn’t, think about Golden State and the culture there.”

At the same time, the NBA legend sent a clear message to Kuminga. “He has to have the understanding that you’re not the star…You have to understand a role.” Everyone feels they’re a star in high school or college, but in this league, sometimes adjusting to a role becomes the key to survival.

“When you ain’t that star no more in the league, you got to adjust to a role. That’s kind of what I see. He needs to adjust to more of a 3 and D guy. He needs to accept a 3-and-D role,” Pierce added. In the Golden State, not even Draymond Green operates outside Stephen Curry’s orbit.

Last season, Jonathan Kuminga reportedly “pissed off” Steve Kerr by prioritizing his own scoring against Portland despite sharing the floor with Stephen Curry. This behavior reportedly didn’t sit well with the head coach, who then handed the 23-year-old back-to-back DNPs. Again, this embittered the relationship between the young forward and the team.

In 18 appearances in the 2025-26 season, JK has averaged 11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.6 asg, and has a 43.1 FG%. For now, the Warriors don’t have a landing spot for the forward. However, voices in the league say that the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks have shown some signs of interest.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are pretending that the disturbance around Kuminga’s future isn’t a distraction for them.

Stephen Curry Addresses Kuminga Trade Drama

After winning 126-113 against the New York Knicks, Curry addressed the pressing matter that’s hovering in the air for them. “It’s not a distraction at all. It’s a very unique situation, but our job is to just keep playing, keep winning. It’ll resolve itself one way or the other,” he told the media.

Therefore, the NBA world now holds its breath in anticipation. Jonathan Kuminga’s situation has become one of the league’s biggest trade-deadline storylines. One thing is for sure: the young forward has made up his mind; the Warriors, too (maybe). But if nothing feasible comes their way, then JK could be “held hostage” for a while longer.