You Won’t Believe What Kuminga Did After Warriors Preseason Win
Posted October 7, 2025
Jonathan Kuminga’s smile said it all.
Days after ending a tense contract standoff that had cast a shadow over the Golden State Warriors’ offseason, the 23-year-old forward looked relaxed — even joyful — as he danced following the team’s 111–103 preseason win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Happiness, joy, peace — which is surprising,” Andscape’s Marc J. Spears said Monday on ESPN’s NBA Today. “I’ve been around a while; I remember Allen Iverson being unhappy in Memphis, Jimmy Butler in Miami, Kevin Durant… I saw Kuminga dancing after the game. He told me he was at peace. I think the guys — Steph, Draymond [Green], Jimmy, and Buddy Hield — have all given him support. That helped him a lot.”
Kuminga’s renewed energy was the first encouraging sign for the Warriors after a summer filled with uncertainty. The young forward had missed the first two days of training camp as his agent, Aaron Turner, negotiated a long-term deal before ultimately agreeing to a two-year, $48.5 million contract with a 15% trade kicker — a structure that gives the Warriors a $22.5 million tradable contract after Jan. 15 and more guaranteed money for Kuminga than the $7.9 million qualifying offer.
Support From Warriors’ Veterans
According to ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel, Golden State’s veteran core was vocal in their desire to keep Kuminga on board.
“All three stars — Steph, Draymond, and Jimmy Butler — wanted Kuminga back,” Siegel reported in September. “His athleticism, durability, and production can’t be replicated. If lost, his absence would be felt throughout the 82-game season.”
That backing has clearly resonated with Kuminga, who has embraced a more grounded approach after a turbulent few months.
“He comes from a family from Congo that, he said, was never a stressful family — that’s not in his DNA,” Spears said. “Regardless of whether he’s at Golden State or somewhere else, he feels like he’s going to figure it out. But at Golden State, he said he’s committed and wants to win a championship there. It didn’t sound like somebody who was trying to force his way out.”
Impressive Return to Action
In his return to the court, Kuminga made the most of limited minutes. Coming off the bench, he tallied five points on 2-of-3 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, and one block in just 15 minutes. The Warriors outscored the Lakers by seven points while he was on the floor.
“He also said it was important for him to be very good on both sides of the court,” Spears noted.
While many fans focused on Kuminga’s play, Stephen Curry downplayed the drama and emphasized a team-first mentality.
“I’m not going to overanalyze every minute he’s out there,” Curry said. “It’s not good for anybody. It’s just, can we win? Can he be a part of that, no matter how it looks? I’m excited for him to get his legs underneath him and keep building.”
Kerr Sees Progress, Not Distraction
Warriors coach Steve Kerr echoed Curry’s sentiment, praising Kuminga’s adaptability despite missing early camp sessions.
“I thought he played well,” Kerr said. “Obviously, he missed the first couple of days of practice, so he was a little bit behind on some of the stuff we were doing. But JK made a couple of great passes in transition. In the second and third quarters, the game really flowed for us — our transition and spacing were great. That’s what we’ve been working on all week.”
The tension of the offseason now behind him, Kuminga appears poised to focus on basketball — and the Warriors, after months of speculation, are happy to have him back in rhythm.
EXCLUSIVE: John Wallace on Knicks’ Coaching Change and Giving Back
New York basketball legend John Wallace, the Knicks’ first-round pick from the storied 1996 NBA Draft class and a member of the 1999 NBA Finals team, said he understood exactly what the current Knicks went through during their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The defeat echoed the painful memories of the Knicks’ last NBA Finals appearance against the San Antonio Spurs, the franchise’s previous deep playoff run before this current team tried — and fell short — of repeating history.
“That’s how I know what they went through this summer in terms of the amount of work you can put in, because you don’t want to have that same feeling in the following summer,” Wallace told
Heavy Sports in an exclusive interview. “So you work as hard as you possibly can. You’re trying to improve on certain things that you can improve on, so you can not only be a better player, but be able to be a better asset to your team at the same time.”
Winning Mindset
Wallace praised the Knicks’ core of seasoned veterans, noting their focus has shifted fully to winning.
“The core group of guys on the Knicks are all seasoned vets. They all have their money. Now it’s all about winning and figuring out a way to win,” he said. “When you have someone like Jalen Brunson, who’s all about winning, and the rest of those guys — KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns), OG [Anunoby], Mikal [Bridges ] — they’ve all made the necessary sacrifices in terms of just trying to be a winner. They’re all winners.
Last year, Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million contract — $113 million less than he could have earned this offseason. That choice allowed the Knicks to maintain roster flexibility, a theme Bridges has now continued.
“Now the next step is trying to create that formula to win in the NBA at the highest level,” Wallace said. “They fell a little short last year. Hopefully, they’re able to tweak a couple of things and get over that hump this year.”
Coaching Change Brings Fresh Energy
The Knicks made a notable offseason move by replacing Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown to revitalize their offense, which at times struggled in the playoffs despite the talent on the roster.
“Anytime you have a coaching change that pumps new life, a new voice, it’s a new energy,” Wallace said. “Coach Thibs was my rookie coach, someone I’ve known a very long time, and he did a great job in terms of creating a new culture — the hard work, carrying yourself the right way, playing hard all the time. That culture is in place. Now, if Mike Brown can bring the type of offensive ingenuity he applied to the Sacramento Kings in 2023 when they led the NBA in scoring, that’s going to be a huge asset. If the Knicks can flow and play like that, they’ll be headed in the right direction.”
Wallace emphasized that the team’s next step is putting that vision into practice to maximize the roster’s potential.
Giving Back Through Adaptive Sports
Outside of basketball, Wallace spent Saturday morning working with young parathletes through The Hartford and CUNY’s Inclusive and Adaptive Sports Program. Alongside five-time Paralympian Matt Scott, Wallace helped surprise 30 parathletes with custom-fit sport wheelchairs, while providing 20 additional chairs to local adaptive sports programs.
The effort was personal for Wallace, whose cousin was paralyzed in a childhood accident that ended his basketball dreams.
“And he was six-foot-six, and obviously he couldn’t play anymore,” Wallace said. “So the wheelchair program is near and dear to my heart.”
Speaking to the parathletes, Wallace emphasized determination over disability.
“I didn’t see anybody with a disability,” he said. “I saw a room full of people with determination, will, and grit. Back in the day, I shot basketballs from a chair to work on upper body strength. It’s really hard. To see these athletes move effortlessly and make layups, it’s just incredible.”
