The Golden State Warriors walked into Chase Center Wednesday night with more than just the New York Knicks on their minds. Earlier in the day, Jonathan Kuminga reportedly asked out - a trade request that sent a ripple through the organization and lit up the rumor mill. But when the lights came on and the ball tipped, the Warriors did what they’ve done plenty of times before: they locked in and played winning basketball.
Golden State closed the night with a 126-113 win over the Knicks, leaning on a vintage performance from Jimmy Butler, who poured in 32 points, and a steady 27 from Stephen Curry. The noise surrounding Kuminga didn’t seem to show up on the court - at least not in the box score or the body language.
After the game, though, the conversation naturally shifted back to the cloud hanging over the team. Was Kuminga’s situation a distraction? Curry didn’t flinch.
“It’s not a distraction at all,” he said. “It’s a very unique situation, but our job is to just keep playing, keep winning. It’ll resolve itself one way or the other.”
That calm confidence is classic Curry. He’s seen this before - roster drama, trade rumors, shifting rotations - and he’s learned how to compartmentalize. When asked about how the team is handling the outside noise, he pointed to their experience.
“You’ve been around for the last three, four years,” Curry said. “We’ve done it this whole time. So, very, very well trained in this area to just play basketball.”
In other words: this isn’t new. The Warriors have lived through the turbulence of high expectations, injuries, trades, and everything in between. They’ve learned to keep the main thing the main thing - and right now, that’s winning basketball games.
Draymond Green echoed that sentiment, offering support for Kuminga as a teammate while brushing off the idea that his situation is bleeding into the team’s performance. Head coach Steve Kerr also weighed in, saying he spoke with Kuminga the morning of the game and that their relationship remains strong. Kerr made it clear he’s still planning to coach Kuminga, even if the trade deadline looms large.
But the facts are hard to ignore. Kuminga has now been a healthy scratch for 13 straight games.
Curry acknowledged that he hasn’t spoken with the 23-year-old recently, though Kuminga has remained around the team. That silence might raise eyebrows from the outside, but inside the locker room, the focus remains on basketball - at least for now.
That focus is starting to pay off. The Warriors have quietly won 10 of their last 14 games, climbed back above .500, and begun to look like a team with a little more rhythm. Kerr has settled into a more consistent rotation, and the players are responding with steadier performances.
Still, the work is far from done - and Curry knows it. He’s not throwing any parades just yet.
“Like Coach Bob McKillop always used to say, peacock today, feather duster tomorrow,” Curry said, quoting his longtime mentor. “I like the vibes.
I like how we’re playing. But we’ve still got work to do.”
That work includes figuring out Kuminga’s future, potentially turning unused salary into playable depth, and determining how far this current group can go. The Warriors aren’t pretending they’re back to championship form - but they’re trending in the right direction.
And Curry, as always, is keeping the focus on what’s in front of him: the minutes, the matchups, and the wins that keep this season alive.