Dub Hub: Steve Kerr says Jonathan Kuminga’s ankle is ‘nowhere close’ to being ready

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Wednesday, January 22nd.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• In an interview with 95.7 The Game, Steve Kerr offers an update on Jonathan Kuminga’s ankle, calling him ‘nowhere close’ to being ready.
• TNT’s Kenny Smith believes Warriors need to go through a ‘young rebuild’.
• Suns trade unprotected first-round pick in 2031 to Jazz for three first-round picks, according to ESPN.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr offered a bleak update on Jonathan Kuminga’s recovery from a right ankle sprain. Speaking to 95.7 The Game, Kerr said the forward’s ankle is “nowhere close” to being ready, nearly three weeks after the injury occurred on January 4th.

Kuminga, who has missed Golden State’s last eight games, suffered a “significant” right ankle sprain against the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month and was seen leaving the arena on crutches.

The setback was especially unfortunate for the 22-year-old considering he was in the midst of a very impressive run. Kuminga was finding his stride in a role off the bench for the Warriors, highlighted by back-to-back career-high performances of 34 points.

Fortunately, Kerr did say Kuminga was progressing but did not provide a specific timeline for his return. For now, the team will have to look elsewhere for answers at the power forward position, especially with the additional injuries to forwards Draymond Green and Kyle Anderson.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Wednesday, January 22nd:

Warriors News:

Kerr shares latest Warriors injury updates on Kuminga, Podziemski | NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors coach Steve Kerr joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Tuesday and provided injury updates on fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga (lateral right ankle sprain), guard Brandin Podziemski (abdominal strain) and forward Kyle Anderson (hip).

“[Kuminga’s] progressing, but it was a pretty bad ankle sprain, and he hasn’t been on the court yet or anything,” Kerr told Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “But he’s getting rehab every day, and he’s doing strength stuff and he’s on the bike, so he’s doing as well as possible. But he’s nowhere close to being ready.

“We’re hoping to get BP and Kyle [Anderson] back later this week, not tomorrow, but we’re hoping for one of the games later this week, and we need those guys help for sure.”

The Warriors need to blow it up! Why it’s time to trade Stephen Curry and Draymond Green | Yahoo Sports

The question for Warriors fans isn’t “should they trade them?” It’s “what happens if they don’t?”

Golden State’s recent draft history is shaky at best. The more future picks they part with, the fewer chances they’ll have to strike gold again — just as they did with Curry back in 2009, one year before Lacob bought the team for $450 million. Fast forward to today, and the franchise is valued at $9.14 billion. Curry, Green and Klay Thompson have already left the organization in a far better place than when they arrived. Nobody wants to see Steph, Draymond or Klay in another uniform — just like Celtics fans didn’t want to see Pierce and Garnett leave Boston — but Thompson already is. Steph and Draymond could be next.

Shams Charania’s Inside Pass: Trade buzz on Lakers, Bulls, rest of NBA | ESPN

Vucevic, meanwhile, has also had a strong campaign, averaging 20.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. The Warriors are among teams expressing interest in the 6-foot-10 center, sources said. At 34, Vucevic has shown he can age gracefully; he is shooting 55.4% from the field and 41.1% from 3 this season.

NBA’s record 3-point deluge isn’t Steph Curry’s fault — and it won’t last forever | The Athletic

But what Curry and former Warriors teammate Klay Thompson did was spectacular. This modern saturation of 3-pointers is not. Assigning the responsibility of the current blight to their brilliance is about as inappropriate as blaming. … It’s not Bentley’s fault the streets flooded with Chrysler 300s in the early 2000s. And we dare not criticize the Air Jordan 1s for the existence of the gold Never Surrenders.

Greatness gets copied. That’s the game. Any aspersions for the prevalence of fake Louis Vuitton should be cast on Canal Street in New York, not in France.

That’s why this era is much more Daryl Morey’s fault.

TNT’s Kenny Smith suggests the Warriors need to go through a ‘young rebuild’

NBA News:

Suns acquire three first-round draft picks in trade with Jazz | ESPN

The Suns acquired the least favorable first-round pick in 2025 of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Jazz (protected); in 2027 of Cleveland, Minnesota or Utah; and in 2029 of Cleveland, Minnesota (protected) or Utah.

The aggressive approach by the Suns unlocks their next six drafts and breaks up their lone tradable first-round pick in 2031 into three firsts. The Suns (21-21) are currently 10th in the Western Conference and are looking to improve their roster toward contention around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

Likelihood of Jimmy Butler trade to Suns increases following Phoenix-Utah deal: Source | The Athletic

As several rival executives indicated, Milwaukee is a team worth monitoring as the Suns continue to look for third-team partners in a Butler deal. Per league sources, the Bucks’ motives would be two-fold: Cut enough salary from their payroll to get under the second apron — the only way the Bucks can legally complete a trade while aggregating contracts — and also add a talented, highly paid player to play next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the NBA’s top scoring duo. Whether that would be Beal, or perhaps a star like Chicago’s Zach LaVine, in other potential scenarios remains to be seen.

NBA postpones Wednesday’s game between the Bucks and the Pelicans due to ‘extreme weather conditions’

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Dejan Milojević honored by Golden State Warriors with award in his name

Dejan Milojević’s legacy is etched in the annals of basketball history, not just for his on-court achievements, but for the indelible mark he left on players, colleagues, and fans alike. His life serves as a reminder of the profound impact one individual can have on the sport and the people who love it.

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.