Jonathan Kuminga’s time with the Golden State Warriors came to an end at the trade deadline after the Golden State Warriors traded him to the Atlanta Hawks. While there’s no denying this move was a long time coming, many believed parting ways with a former lottery pick who was supposed to be the future of the organization would’ve been hard for the front office.

However, that wasn’t the case after all. While speaking with the media recently, Warriors owner Joe Lacob finally broke his silence on Kuminga’s trade, and his answer was surprising to say the least. Lacob, who seemingly shared an excellent working relationship with the young forward, leading many to believe there was some bias on his end regarding JK, straight-up denied having any trouble signing off on the move.

“Not hard; everyone assumes a lot about that,” Lacob told The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami. “Look, I liked him as a player, I like him as a person. And at times, he showed a lot of potential for us. Just never quite really worked entirely. And he got injured at inopportune times.”

“I think we all knew we had to do something. But we weren’t going to give him away, either,” Lacob further revealed. “Because he is a talent, and a lot of people think that, too. It just worked out; we got something that we thought was worth doing. Otherwise, we would’ve kept him.”

Jonathan Kuminga’s time with the Warriors was filled with ups and downs. There were moments where he looked like someone whom the Dubs could bet their future on, but those didn’t last long. Injuries also played a crucial role in derailing the 23-year-old’s career. Every time JK looked hot, an untimely injury put him on the sidelines.

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Moreover, the arrival of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Warriors further reduced his time on the court due to spacing issues on the floor. In fact, that might’ve been the final nail in the coffin for Kuminga, indicating to the front office that it was time to move on from the forward. But could Joe Lacob and Co. have gotten more in return for the forward had they clocked this earlier?

Joe Lacob clears the bias allegations against him regarding Jonathan Kuminga

The Golden State Warriors acquired Kristaps Porzingis in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. While the arrival of a championship-winning center who can space the floor is undoubtedly a massive boost for the Dubs, many believe they could have extracted more in return for Kuminga had they pulled the trigger at the right time. However, that seemingly didn’t happen because Lacob was biased for JK. But that’s not what he thinks.

“I don’t think so,” Lacob said. “People say I loved him as a player, I was protecting him, I was whatever. That’s just not true. I did like him. I like all our players. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be acquiring them if we didn’t all like them. But you know, it just didn’t work. It looked like it was going to work. It was off and on a lot.”

Well, you have to give Joe Lacob the benefit of the doubt here. After all, as we mentioned at times, Kuminga did look like a superstar in the making, especially during last season’s playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the loss, the forward was arguably the best Dubs player on the court at the time.

But again, that purple patch didn’t last long. So, it might not have been logically possible for the front office to know whether to cut him. Nonetheless, they’ve done so now. And while the move is yet to pay its dividends, who knows Kristaps Porzingis’ arrival might do wonders for the Warriors next season. Meanwhile, Kuminga will try to prove his worth in Atlanta, as he gears up for his much-awaited debut.