Warriors’ Jimmy Butler delivers his ultimate bottom line on Jonathan Kuminga trade request

Golden State Warriors veteran Jimmy Butler reacted to Jonathan Kuminga’s trade request after Thursday’s 126-113 win against the New York Knicks. While Kuminga’s Warriors teammates know the end is near as we inch closer to the trade deadline, Butler set the record straight that the decision for Golden State to part ways with Jonathan is not a reflection of how his teammates feel about him.

Butler told reporters during his postgame media availability that he wishes nothing but the best for Kuminga’s future, and that the two have grown close as individuals in the short time Jimmy’s been with the Warriors, he said, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater.

“That has nothing to do with us. We love [Jonathan Kuminga] in this locker room. That’s not going to change,” Butler said. “If he happens to not be here, we still rock with JK. I speak for everybody. I don’t care. We love that guy. I wish him the best here. I wish him the best wherever. It doesn’t change. We don’t listen to the noise. I hope he doesn’t listen to the noise. He keeps coming in with a smile, doing what he’s supposed to be do, and being the ultimate pro.”

Does Kuminga deserve to change of scenery or do you wish things would have worked out with the Warriors?

“Hey, hey, hey. It don’t got nothing to do with me. I want JK to be happy,” Butler replied. “At the end of the day, that’s what I want. Whatever brings him his joy and his happiness, that’s what I want for my brother. Not my friend. That’s my brother.”

Jimmy Butler on Jonathan Kuminga: “I wish him the best here. I wish him the best wherever.”

On a resolution: “Hey, hey, hey. It don’t got nothing to do with me. I just want JK to be happy.” pic.twitter.com/aIqSVItJtV

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 16, 2026

Butler’s 32 points on 14-of-22 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals led the Warriors to a 13-point win against the Knicks on Thursday. Stephen Curry added 27 points, including four threes, and seven assists.

Warriors teammate sees Jonathan Kuminga staying

While most consider Kuminga’s time with the Warriors ending as a foregone conclusion, not everyone is convinced. At least one Warriors teammate sees Kuminga staying through the season, per The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II, Nick Friedell, and Sam Amick.

“I could actually see that happening,” one player on the Warriors said of the possibility that Kuminga stays on the team through the end of this season,” Thompson II, Friedell, and Amick reported.

The Warriors have four of their last five games.

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