Charles Barkley thinks Stephen Curry is the real loser in the Jonathan Cummings saga

Working relationship between Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Cumminga and head coach Steve Kerr has generated endless speculation over the past year as headlines and rumors pile up. Except from Jimmy Butler’s devastating ACL injurywhich decimates the team’s already slim championship chances, this saga dominated coverage of the Dubs. Interestingly, neither Kuminga nor Kerr may be with the franchise’s past this season.

The former requested a trade amid scant playing time and the latter is in the final year of his contract. Except for the unimaginable, Stephen Curry will still be in the Bay Area for the 2026-27 campaign, which means he could be the one suffering the most from this mentally draining situation. If Kuminga had maintained more consistent form from the get-go and Kerr had given him a decent job earlier in the season, then the team would be far better equipped to handle Butler’s absence.

Instead, a trade seems like the only outcome at this point. Curry will have to look elsewhere for reinforcements. Charles Barclay laments the 37-year-old spy because he was placed in a precarious position in the twilight of his legendary NBA career.

“The biggest loser in the whole thing is Steph, because they weren’t candidates,” the Hall of Famer and longtime analyst said Saturday, via the account “Oh No, Not X.” Now Steph will finish the last part of his career on a mediocre team.

Chuck as he talks about the Kuminga drama:

“The biggest loser in the whole thing is Steph because they weren’t contenders, now Steph is going to finish the last part of his career with a mediocre team” pic.twitter.com/iV398dckRr

— Oh no, it’s not (@ohnohedidnt24) January 24, 2026

Stephen Curry is still a power forward at 17, scoring 27.4 points while shooting 39.2 percent from 3-point range through 36 games. Fans have seen what happens when he carries a heavy load for a long time. The Warriors can only expect so much from him, even if he’s making $59.6 million this season (the most in the NBA). Keeping Curry healthy would ideally be the team’s top priority right now, but Golden State (25-21) is already in eighth place in the Western Conference.

Jonathan Kuminga is currently nursing knee and ankle injuriesand even when he does return, it’s unclear how long he’ll be in a Warriors uniform. With Jimmy Butler out for the season, Curry will have to be superhuman for the Dubs to play meaningful basketball games this spring. Unless the organization makes drastic changes or gets extremely lucky, Barkley’s claim seems unassailable.