Jonathan Kuminga has not been a significant part of the Golden State Warriors' playoff strategy, despite his athleticism and potential impact on the court. His limited participation was primarily due to Jimmy Butler's injury, and he has not played in crucial games against the Rockets. Coach Steve Kerr has indicated that all options are open for Game 7, but Kuminga's absence dates back to a critical game against the Clippers, where Kerr chose to remove him from the rotation entirely. The decision is based on concerns about lineup spacing when Kuminga, Butler, and Draymond Green are all on the floor together. As Kuminga's rookie contract concludes, there is speculation about his future with the team, including the possibility of a sign-and-trade or leaving as a free agent, given the current situation makes it difficult to see him returning to the Warriors.

Jonathan Kuminga has been largely absent from the Warriors' playoff games, only participating in two early games due to Jimmy Butler's injury, and has not seen the court in Games 4, 5, and 6 against the Rockets.

Coach Steve Kerr removed Kuminga from the rotation during a critical end-of-season game against the Clippers, a decision that has persisted throughout the playoffs when Butler is healthy.

Kerr justifies Kuminga's exclusion by citing the challenge of effective lineup spacing with him, Butler, and Draymond Green playing simultaneously, though this approach has been questioned given the team's scoring struggles.

Kuminga's athleticism and potential make his absence notable, as he could contribute during moments when Butler or Green take a rest, possibly alleviating scoring issues the team faced in recent games.

With Kuminga's rookie contract ending, there is speculation about his future, including potential sign-and-trade opportunities or leaving as a free agent, as his return to the Warriors seems unlikely under current circumstances.

Jonathan Kuminga is the only card the Warriors really haven't tried to play.

The talented 22-year old took part in two games against the Rockets through the first six, but those were only due to Jimmy Butler being injured.

Kuminga hasn't seen the floor for a second in Games 4, 5 and 6.

Coach Steve Kerr said "everything is on the table" for Game 7, so we'll see if anything changes.

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Why isn't Jonathan Kuminga playing?

This total absence of Kuminga dates back to the final game of the regular season, a playoff-like game against the Clippers with huge seeding implications.

That day, Kerr took Kuminga out of the rotation entirely. That strategy has continued in all the playoff games Butler has been and stayed healthy.

Kerr's explanation mostly makes sense. He doesn't like the spacing of lineups that include all three of Butler, Kuminga and Draymond Green.

But Kuminga is also one of the most athletic Warriors, and there's no rule against him coming in for a few minutes when one of Butler or Green sits.

The Warriors clearly feel they're making the right call on this, but in Games 5 and 6 against the Rockets, they struggled to score. Maybe Kuminga could fix that.

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Jonathan Kuminga contract

Kuminga is in the final season of his rookie deal.

When the Warriors campaign is over, Kuminga will be free to seek fresher pastures. 

There's been some suggestion that Golden State could use him in a sign-and-trade, or he could just leave and sign somewhere else as a free agent.

It's certainly hard to envision him coming back to the Warriors after this.

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