Most of the time, when a player makes a trade request, he's likely having trouble getting along with his coaches or teammates. However, in the recent case of promising forward Jonathan Kuminga , former NBA champion and now broadcaster Kendrick Perkins made it clear that the Golden State Warriors ace isn't to blame, but his coach, Steve Kerr , absolutely is.
Perk was completely assertive that blame must be placed on the shoulders of the multiple-time champion player and coach, saying that while he has shown himself capable of trusting other young players like Brandon Podziemski, Moses Moody , and even rookie Will Richard , he hasn't afforded JK the same.
And despite the Warriors' glaring need for someone of Kuminga's tremendous skills and upside, he just hasn't given him the time of day, nailing him to the bench in each of their last 14 games.
"Steve Kerr is the problem. Period," Perk boldly declared on the "Road Trippin'" podcast.
He explained that while elite teams in the league have clear-cut plans in place, for now and in the future, the Warriors have neither and will rely on the aging core of Steph Curry , Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler until the wheels fall off.
"Think about this: The Warriors are the only team, in my opinion, when you talk about teams that are trying to compete for a title, right? Think about all the teams around the league. Not only like you look at the Pistons, OKC, San Antonio, right? Think about it. All those guys, all those organizations, are set up for the now and the future," Perkins noted. "The Warriors? The future? What future? It's no future."
Curry, Butler and Green have all vouched for Kuminga's professionalism, with Green going as far as saying that if he were in Kuminga's place, he wouldn't have been able to handle it as well as he has.
"It speaks volumes loud as s—t for you to talk to Steph and Steph to give you that report on Jonathan Kuminga . For Draymond after the game to say that Jonathan Kuminga hasn't been a distraction," he added. "Jimmy Butler has been on record saying that basically Jonathan Kuminga is like a little—so the problem Jonathan Kuminga don't have a problem with his teammates. It's his f—cking coach."
Speaking from experience, Perkins emphasized that a coach's belief in a player goes a long way toward building confidence and allowing them to thrive on the court. After all, he was only 23 when Doc Rivers placed him in the Boston Celtics ' starting five that featured cagey veterans Kevin Garnett , Ray Allen and Paul Pierce . That team went on to win the 2008 championship.
"It comes down—no basketball player, no real hooper, could be at his best if his mind is not in a clear space and his coach don't believe in him. Right?" Kendrick stated.
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Meanwhile, the show's co-host, Channing Frye , held a different opinion, claiming it's the Warriors' front office's fault. To be specific, Frye pointed out Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s role in this mess, explaining that, despite it being crystal clear that Kuminga's style of play doesn't fit the Warriors' system, which revolves around Curry's otherworldly skills, it's puzzling why he hasn't moved him.
"It is the GM's fault, 1,000%. He knew that this was not a good fit. You want this kid to buy into the system. He doesn't play in the system. You have to move him. But the GM keeps him there," Channing said.
"So we're supposed to play completely different for this one guy for what? And waste years? I'm not rolling with that. I'm not. When you got Steph Curry, that's a Steph Curry system," he stressed.
With the trade deadline only weeks away, the Warriors now have a chance to create a win-win for everyone involved: give Kuminga a chance to restart his stalled career elsewhere and provide the Warriors with the assets they need to make a postseason push.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
