Warriors Bench Potential Trade Candidate With Link to 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers were recently among a set of teams linked to Jonathan Kuminga trade rumors.

Jan 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) shoots a layup against Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

When the Golden State Warriors took on the New Orleans Pelicans earlier in the week, they took to the court with a new starting lineup.

As Steve Kerr was without notable starters Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, he was going to have to get creative with his lineups.

One solution was to remove Jonathan Kuminga from the starting lineup, a place where he had spent three games to start the season as well as 46 in the previous season.

As reported by ESPN's Kendra Andrews, the decision to bench Kuminga wasn't orientated around the former Champion, rather just an exercise to see different starting lineups.

Oct 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

"All it is, is shuffling the lineup to try to get the right five-man grouping out there," explained Kerr.

Kuminga would check into the game in the first quarter before dropping 17 points and three assists across the match.

The 22-year-old didn’t think that there was anything in the decision by Kerr, who he his more than willing to follow given his role.

"All it is, is shuffling the lineup to try to get the right five-man grouping out there..." said Kuminga, "This is the decision of the coach, and we will follow what he's going to do... at the end of the day, I'm still a professional, I'm going to do what I've got to do."

The situation comes after the NBA's extension deadline, which saw Kuminga and Golden State fail to reach an agreement to further his rookie contract. As a result, recent reports suggested that some teams around the league showed interest in the 22-year-old, including the Philadelphia 76ers.

Given that the season is still young and the trade deadline is on February 6th, there is more than enough time for this situation to develop.