Oklahoma City is having a fantastic season and is once again exceeding expectations. At 23-10, the squad is presently ranked second in the competitive Western Conference. The Thunder are dominating on both ends of the court, and their core group appears to be naturally feeding off of one another.

It appears that the Golden State Warriors, who took home the NBA Championship in 2022, are moving in the other way. While Draymond Green is still serving a suspension, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins have both had difficulties. The only person keeping the ship afloat is Steph Curry.

Third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga expressed his problems with the coaching staff following the team’s heartbreaking loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. It appears that a trade is the only viable option.

According to a report by Shams Charania on Friday morning, Kuminga “has lost faith in Steve Kerr and no longer believes that Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential.” This was an odd report that gave the impression that things might quickly become shaky.

Even though Kuminga is having one of his greatest statistical seasons to date, he isn’t getting the minutes he wants. Playing only 22 minutes a game, he’s averaging 12.1 points and 4.1 rebounds on 50.6% shooting. He finished the game on Thursday night with 16 points in 19 minutes, spending the last 18 minutes of the contest on the bench.

Now that the Thunder are a surprising contender, teams all across the league are expecting them to make a move. Given Kuminga’s dissatisfaction at Golden State, Oklahoma City might be a club to monitor.

The initial gut reaction is it seems very unlikely. Kuminga was the consensus No.

4 prospect in the 2021 NBA Draft and he was still on the board for the Thunder’s pick at No. 6. Sam Presti opted to go with

Josh Giddey and has seemed satisfied with his selection. Kuminga has all the

tools, but there’s a reason the Thunder went in a different direction.

The optics are not good when he called out his coach in the middle of the season. Presti doesn’t seem to be willing to take a

chance on a rookie forward who is whining about playing time because

Oklahoma City has assembled a squad full of players who are committed to

their positions. He has shown himself to be a team player who is committed to

staying with the Thunder for the long haul.

Kuminga’s potential and athleticism is clear, but anyone that could ruffle

feathers in the locker room this season seems like someone the Thunder would

stay far away from. If he’s looking for development and a place to grow,

Oklahoma City could fit that bill. But if he’s looking for immediate playing time

and lots of shots, he might be better suited for another team.

Regardless of the reports, Oklahoma City would probably need to trade rotational players in order to acquire Kuminga. With Curry, the Warriors will attempt to contend as long as possible. It seems like a lot to give away Giddey, another rotational player, and possibly even additional draft money for a young player with limited experience.

Though Kuminga doesn’t really make sense in OKC, it might still be fantastic.