Warriors weigh Kuminga as trade asset amid preseason

SAN FRANCISCO — As the Golden State Warriors open preseason play at Chase Center this week, the team is balancing roster experimentation, injury management and the unsettled future of forward Jonathan Kuminga, who re-signed after a contentious offseason but remains a potential trade asset once he becomes eligible in mid-January.

Kuminga agreed to a two-year deal this fall that includes a team option for the second season and waived an implicit no-trade protection, a structure that gives the Warriors flexibility while giving the 23-year-old a short runway to prove his fit. He has come off the bench in the first two exhibition games, producing modest box-score lines and showing both the athletic upside that fueled a playoff breakout last spring and the inconsistency that has frustrated coaches and front-office executives.

"I don't ask Kerr about roles because I know what he is going to tell me. I don't waste my energy," Kuminga said in a recent interview. "You just have to find ways to do things when you get out there. Make plays, defend. I don't have a consistent role. I just play a role where I make sure I play defense and run the floor."

Coach Steve Kerr acknowledged Kuminga's...