Steve Kerr harbors 'no hard feelings' toward Jonathan Kuminga’s agent over infamous public callout

Jonathan Kuminga and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had a lengthy impasse last season after the four-time champion coach benched and called out the young forward during the season. With Kuminga's contract renewal with the Warriors this offseason, Kerr has put their infamous public tension behind them.

In a report by the San Francisco Standard, Kerr reaffirmed that he does not have hard feelings with Kuminga following what happened last season.

“I’ve already talked to JK. We’ve had a good discussion. No hard feelings. Let’s go. Let’s get a move on," Kerr said. "And I’m happy for him. It might not have been the contract that he wanted, but that’s a lot of money. This is life-changing money. And the idea is to help him get better, so that he can sign more of those deals and we can win more games.”

Kuminga signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract this season to stay in Golden State.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

Last year, Kuminga was benched in numerous games, prompting his agent to criticize Kerr in public.

Kerr carried on with Kuminga as a backup power forward for the team, finishing the regular season with 47 games played and averages of 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.

The Warriors reached the second round of the playoffs last season, but lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games as superstar Steph Curry got injured in the series opener.

With Kuminga again this season, the Warriors are expected to continue to develop the 23-year-old forward, who will be entering his fifth season in the NBA.

---

Former NBA champion coach advises Steve Kerr and Jonathan Kuminga to find common ground

Mike Malone, a former champion head coach with the Denver Nuggets, called out Steve Kerr and Jonathan Kuminga, advising them to sit down together and find a common ground in how they want to help the team.

“It comes down to communication,” Malone, who once coached Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, said. “Steve's come out and said it, that communication is key. Him and Kuminga have a relationship, but they got to sit down in the room. And right now, it's a battle between Steve Kerr saying, this is what we want, and then Kuminga saying, this is what I want. And they have to find a way to marry that.”

This season, the Warriors added veteran center Al Horford on top of other frontcourt players such as Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The Warriors will start their season against the LA Lakers on Oct. 21.

Edited by Rob Andrew Lo