Steve Kerr breaks his silence on Jonathan Cumminga’s trade request

SAN FRANCISCO – Ongoing Jonathan Kuminga’s formal trade requestsince his January 15 trade restriction has finally expired, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed the media regarding the difficult situation between the young forward and the franchise.

“Our relationship is fine,” Kerr he said clearly to the question of his and Kuminga’s broken relationship as one of the catalysts for this latest bump.

“I can’t say much about the other stuff. It’s just … it is what it is — a tough situation for everybody, and part of this league, part of the job. So we’re just continuing to move forward. But a tough situation, and I don’t have anything to add.”

It was a short and curt response from Kerr, who wore his fatigue on the Cummings-related issues on his sleeve. An answer to be expected at this stage of the saga, given the ups and downs, bitterness and drama surrounding every aspect of this dispute.

Kerr declined to share what he and Cumminga discussed this morning at the Dubs’ scrimmage. However, the coach made it clear that he does not expect the ongoing rumors and outside noise to be a distraction.

“I’m going to continue to coach him, and you know he is, he’s going to be, you know, part of the team, and he’s going to be here.”
And you know it is, it is what it is,” Kerr said. “Jonathan’s a great young guy. Teammates like him; he’s well behaved. There’s not going to be any distractions.”

Steve Kerr’s comments on Jonathan Kuminga after his trade demand today:

“Our relationship is fine. I can’t say much about other things. It just is what it is. It’s a difficult situation for everyone.” pic.tvitter.com/uvCjtbHKUA

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) January 16, 2026

Kuminga’s future in Golden State?

Kerr’s comments followed stormy reports of Fr Kuminga’s discontent in Golden State and the potential trade market surrounding it. Early indications suggest that while there is some interest in the 23-year-old forward, the pickings are slim as to what the Warriors could get back in the trade.

Teams like Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly shown interest in Kuminga, but there was little movement towards actual trade. And with Golden State setting their option to keep Cummings past the deadline and deal him in the summer, that leaves this situation in a no-man’s land regarding his future.

In the same pregame segment, Kerr talked about Cummings’ potential when asked about his future as an impact player.

“It’s hard to be a young player in the league and find an opportunity,” Kerr said. “One thing I tell all of our young guys is that the vast majority of players in this league end up playing for multiple teams, and a big part of this league is finding the right situation and making that connection.

Kerr recounted his experience playing for six teams, riding most of them on the bench.

“Everybody has their own journey. And so for all of our young guys, not just JK, I talk about that a lot. But you always just want to put yourself in the best position to be ready for the opportunity when it comes. And sometimes it will come, sometimes it won’t, and you just have to be ready for all of them.”

The situation did not materialize in Golden State for Cummings. And until the Warriors find a trade partner, both sides will remain in Cumming purgatory, catching DNP-CD on the bench, his contract burning a $22.5 million hole in the Warriors’ payroll.