Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga suffered a bone bruise in his left knee during Thursday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks and is sidelined without a timetable to return.
TheWarriors announced his diagnosison Sunday. "A re-evaluation date will be determined in the coming days," the Warriors announced.
The injury arrives at a critical juncture for the Warriors in terms oftheir relationship with Kuminga. Kuminga was believed to be on the trade block ahead of the NBA's Feb. 5 trade deadline, but he'd recently returned to the rotationdue to an injury to Jimmy Butler.
Kuminga left Thursday's game with the injury. He was then listed as out for Saturday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves that gotpostponed until Sundaywith what the team initially listed as knee soreness.
An MRI on Friday confirmed that Kuminga sustained a bone bruise due to a hyperextension in his knee. The Warriors did not announce the injury until Sunday.
What will Warriors do with Kuminga?
Kuminga recently rejoined head coach Steve Kerr's rotation due to the season-ending ACL tear to Butler. He'dpreviously issued a trade demandafter Kerr opted not to play him in several games this season. The injury to Butler opened up a chance for Kuminga to re-establish himself in Golden State's rotation. His future with the franchise remains unclear ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.
Kuminga played well in his brief return to the lineup. He tallied 20 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 21 minutes in a loss to the Raptors on Tuesday. He had 10 points in nine minutes against the Mavericks before leaving the game with his injury.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are at a crossroads with Butler's injury projected to knock them out of any realistic chance of competing in the Western Conference.
