Jimmy Butler’s promise to Jonathan Cummings amid trade rumors

SAN FRANCISCO – Amid trade rumors and market reversals, it appears to be the case The Jonathan Kuming saga is moving towards another tipping point.

U Victory of the Golden State Warriors 123-114 over the Utah Jazz, Kuminga suffered his 10th DNP-CD in his last 12 games. With the young forward on the fringes of the Dubs’ rotation and his Jan. 15 trade deadline fast approaching, we’re nearing what appears to be the end of a turbulent relationship.

But during these turbulent times, Jimmy Butler continues to stand by Kuminga. In the locker room after the win over the Jazz, Butler talked about his relationship with Cummings, which appears to be as strong as ever.

“He’d better come to my place tonight, have dinner, play Uno or dominoes,” Butler he smiled.

“That’s my brother. I (don’t) care if he’s out of the rotation. We hang out. That’s my friend; that’s my brother. That’s not going to change. Basketball is basketball. I love him like a brother now. I wish him the best. And I still see him here doing his job, so it’s OK.”

Jimmy Butler on Jonathan Cummings: “His future, that’s between him and anybody else. That bond that we’ve built … no future (decision) is going to change that.”

What he told him: “Be a professional for professionals. Come here and get the job done. Smile.” pic.twitter.com/9NpLrd6DoP

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyslater) January 4, 2026

Jimmy Butler managed to be a leader for Jonathan Cummings

Since joining Golden State in a blockbuster trade at the deadline last season, Butler has taken the 23-year-old under his wing. Whether working with him after practice or bringing him to dinner after games, Butler became Cummings’ vet both on and off the field.

“I feel like in this league, he’s one of the guys that has actually been in my shoes throughout his career,” Kuminga said earlier this season. “He knows what I’ve been through. What I’ve been through.”

And at the start of the season, it looked like that mentorship was turning into real success. The Warriors are off to a great 4-1 start to the season, with Kuminga in the starting lineup alongside Butler. It looked like Kuminga made the jump Golden State envisioned. He did all the little things that Steve Kerr asked of him, like rebounding, complementing the stars off the ball, defending at a high level and running the floor.

But then the Warriors began to slump, and Cuming’s fitness took a turn for the worse. He was sidelined for eight games with bilateral knee tendinitis, and when he returned, the magic from earlier in the season was gone. Which brings us to where we are now. With less than two weeks until Kuminga becomes trade eligible, his future is at a crossroads.

But for Butler, that uncertainty is none of his business.

“It has nothing to do with me,” Butler said. “Because I’ll still call him and check on him, I’ll still visit him, go to his house, eat his food, play with his kids. His future, that’s between him and anybody else. But the bond and the brotherhood that we’ve built, no future will ever change if that’s my guy.”

What may change for Kuminga in the near future is the landscape. ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel reported it Warriors “work from multiple angles” to move Kuminga ahead of schedule. Being in trade rumors is a tough thing for an NBA player, let alone one as young as Kuminga. But regardless of the circumstances, Butler doesn’t think the situation is weighing on the 23-year-old.

“No. Not at all,” Butler said. “I tell JK, ‘You’re the professional of all professionals. Come here and get your job done. You smile, you have a good time because you’re still an NBA player. You’re one of the best people in the world, and I’m not talking about basketball. So you smile, you keep doing what you’re doing.’