Shams Charania: Jonathan Kuminga has officially submitted a trade request to the Golden State Warriors..

ESPN senior reporter Shams Charania exclusively reported on Thursday that Golden State Warriors' Congolese power forward / small forward Jonathan Kuminga has officially submitted a trade request.

According to Shams, Kuminga submitted a trade request to the Warriors immediately after becoming eligible for trade on Thursday (January 15th).

Inside sources claim that Kuminga decided to submit the trade request because his relationship with head coach Steve Kerr has completely deteriorated.

He said, Kuminga did indeed perform well at the beginning of the season, earning him 'a guaranteed starter' status from Kerr and starting in the first 12 games. However, after Kuminga's poor performances in subsequent games and his subsequent benching, their relationship began to change.

In the past 13 games, Kuminga has even spent the entire time on the bench, making him almost dispensable even as a reserve player.

Shams added that Kerr had intended to return Kuminga to the starting lineup in the Warriors' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 2nd to ease the tension between the duo. However, the player refused the opportunity before the game, citing "physical soreness."

The falling out between Kuminga and Kerr has also raised concerns among several veteran players on the team.

Jimmy Butler has said, rather than watching the $22.5 million player rot on the bench and unable to contribute to the struggling team, it would be better to trade him before the February 5th trade deadline so that everyone can regain their form and happiness as soon as possible.

Currently, the Warriors are not interested in resolving the conflict between Kuminga and Kerr. Instead, they prefer to address the issue of players with expiring contracts and actively explore the trade market for Kuminga.

It is understood that the Sacramento Kings have expressed interest in trading Kuminga, but negotiations between the two teams have stalled.

The Warriors' unwillingness to accept Malik Monk's $60.4 million contract, which still has three years remaining, is the reason why trade negotiations have stalled.

If the Kings were willing to include point guard Keon Ellis in the trade package, the Warriors might be more likely to accept the trade offer from both teams.

Another team interested in trading Kuminga is the Dallas Mavericks, but details are currently unknown as they have not yet formally submitted a trade proposal.

It's worth noting that the Warriors spent months last summer in a stalemate with Kuminga over contract extension, finally managing to sign him to a two-year, $48.5 million contract. Now, however, he and the team are at odds, inevitably raising questions about whether all that effort was truly worthwhile.

About Jonathan Kuminga

Jonathan Kuminga, 23, was born on October 6, 2002, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. He is 2.01 meters tall and plays as a power forward / small forward. His cousin, Emmanuel Mudiay, is a former point guard for the Guangdong Southern Tigers and Denver Nuggets.

Kuminga was selected 7th overall in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors.

This season, Kuminga played 18 games for the NBA team, averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.