In today’s Dub Hub:
- Jonathan Kuminga’s agent posts workout clips prior to the start of Warriors’ training camp.
- Jimmy Butler ranks 18th in ESPN’s Top 100 Player Rankings.
- 76ers’ second-year guard Jared McCain suffers torn UCL in his right thumb, according to ESPN.
With Golden State Warriors media day and training camp set to begin next Monday, the urgency to finalize the roster is reaching a critical point. At the center of it all remains the ongoing Jonathan Kuminga saga.
With a resolution reportedly close, Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner posted workout clips showcasing the forward sharpening his game ahead of the season.
Turner posted these clips following a report that said Kuminga skipped a Jimmy Butler-led team workout in San Diego.
The clips highlight Kuminga working on his catch-and-shoot, defense, and drive-and-kick reads. While it’s not against NBA-level competition, the focus on these areas is encouraging as they represent the next steps in his player development.
Now, whether that growth happens with the Warriors or elsewhere is the real question looming as a summer full of uncertainty draws to an end.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, September 26th:
Warriors News:
Warriors’ standoff with Jonathan Kuminga nearing an end, but the outcome remains unclear | The Athletic
Yet according to team sources, there’s still another scenario in play here: A sign-and-trade deal with the Sacramento Kings. While the two teams went more than a month without discussing the matter during the later part of the summer, team sources said the talks between the two sides were renewed earlier this week. And while no significant progress was made in the talks, it’s quite notable that the Kings — who have offered veteran guard Malik Monk and a lottery-protected, 2030 first-round pick for the chance to give Kuminga a three-year, $63 million deal — aren’t giving up on the prospect of bringing him to Sacramento this season.
NBA Rank 2025: Player rankings Nos. 50-11 | ESPN
18. Jimmy Butler III, F, Golden State Warriors
2024 NBA Rank: 28
The drama to close his Miami chapter kept him off the court for the majority of last season. His Warriors stint was short — 30 regular-season games, 11 playoff games — but spectacular in all the impact metrics. Most notably: winning. The Warriors were 25-26 when he arrived. They finished on a 23-8 sprint and beat the second-seeded Rockets in the first round. Butler’s hard fall on his tailbone in that series sapped some of his pop the rest of the playoffs, but word from those around Butler is that he has had an extremely motivated summer of work, and they expect him to come out of the gate steaming. The question for Butler and his post-prime teammates is how their bodies progress over the 82-game grind. — Slater
The Play That Drives Steph Curry Crazy: And Kuminga Keeps Doing It
NBA News:
Lakers leave future up to LeBron James, extend coach JJ Redick | ESPN
Pelinka said the decision came down to “confidence and belief” in the former 15-year NBA veteran, who joined the Lakers without previous head coaching experience.
“We think he’s a special coach with a special voice that’s really helping us define the culture of Lakers excellence,” Pelinka said. “We just wanted to make a clear statement that this is what we believe in, what we’re going to lean into and what our players are going to mold into as we continue to develop the identity. I think having long-term planning is helpful as we build this team and go forward.”
Sixers’ guard Jared McCain suffers UCL tear in his right thumb
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Should the Warriors have more interest in Malik Monk?
For me, however, the answer is a crystal clear “no.” Monk is certainly talented, but I’m not sure how much he would actually make the Warriors better. He would be a fairly disastrous pairing with Curry in the starting lineup. While it would be nice for Curry to have a high-scoring partner to share the backcourt with, Monk is sneakily not a great shooter. After a pair of high-efficiency campaigns in 2020-21 and 2021-22, Monk dipped to just 34.4% from three-point range during his three-year tenure with the Kings, including 32.5% last season.
A post to end the week:
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
