The Warriors walk into Saturday night with that uneasy, season-on-the-line kind of energy. Sitting at 10-10, they’re one slip away from dipping under .500, and the timing couldn’t be trickier. After a brief three-game burst of momentum, Golden State has cooled off again, dropping four of its last five. Now the Pelicans are rolling into Chase Center, and the Warriors, without Stephen Curry, who’s out with a left quad issue, suddenly feel like a team trying to steady a rocking boat.

But here’s the first bright spot: Jonathan Kuminga is finally back. The forward showed up on the injury report as questionable, and by evening, the wait was over. As Anthony Slater shared on X, “Jonathan Kuminga will make his return tonight for the Warriors. Missed the last seven with knee tendinitis.” Gary Payton II is also suiting up, adding a little more depth to the rotation.

Kuminga’s season has been a roller coaster. He’s flashed that “future star” version of himself like the 25-point eruption against Memphis, but the consistency hasn’t always been there. His outside shot cooled off after a hot October, and before his knee flare-up, he was sitting at 13.8 points, 6.6 boards, and nearly three assists on solid overall shooting. 

When he went down, the Warriors treaded water at 3–4, and it didn’t help that his offseason contract saga, nearly three months long, already had people wondering where he fits in the team’s long-term plans.

That’s where things get tricky. With injury hiccups and uneven play, the trade chatter has only grown louder. Come January 15, when he becomes eligible to be moved, Golden State is expected to scan the league for options. And yes, the Pelicans (and others) keep popping up as a natural match if the Warriors decide to head down that road.

But that’s a conversation for another day. Tonight, the Warriors aren’t thinking about hypotheticals or trade machines, they just need the version of Kuminga who shows up ready to punch holes in defenses. And history says he can do that. 

Before the injury stretch, Kuminga opened the season scoring 17 a night over his first nine games. Then came a cold spell, barely six per game over the next few, but he’s always been the type to bounce back fast. With Stephen Curry watching from the sideline, Golden State is starving for someone to spark the offense. And in the 17 games he’s played without Curry since last season, Kuminga has dropped 23-plus seven different times. That’s the guy the Warriors need tonight vs the Pelicans.

Warriors eye backcourt stability with Melton

The Warriors might be welcoming another familiar face sooner than expected. De’Anthony Melton, the veteran guard who’s been battling back from a torn ACL for over a year, is inching close to his debut in blue and gold. According to the team’s Saturday update, Melton could make his long-awaited return during the upcoming three-game road trip.

The team reported, “He has fully participated in practice in recent days and continues to scrimmage in various settings. He will not play the remainder of this current homestand, but it is expected that he could be activated at some point during the team’s upcoming three-game road trip next week.” That trip starts Dec. 4 against the Sixers, then swings through Cleveland and Chicago, and that’s where the Warriors expect to finally plug Melton back into the lineup.

Less than a month into last season, Melton tore his ACL, an injury that cut his Warrior debut short after just six games. In those appearances, he quietly did everything Golden State hoped for: 10.3 points, 3.3 boards, nearly three assists, efficient shooting, and defense that made life easier for everyone, especially Stephen Curry. 

The two even shared the floor for a pair of starts as the Warriors opened the year 12–2, looking like a team that had solved its backcourt puzzle. Then the injury hit, Melton was traded to Brooklyn, and later re-signed with Golden State this past offseason to finish what he started.

Without him, the Warriors have spent this season mixing and matching guards, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, rookie Will Richard, hoping someone could duplicate Melton’s blend of toughness, playmaking, and on-ball pressure. Nobody quite has. That’s why his return on the upcoming road trip looms large. And after a long year of recovery, that reunion is finally getting close.