"I Forgot He Still Played Basketball": Kendrick Perkins Mocks Warriors' Decision To Trade Jonathan Kuminga Amidst Giannis Buzz

After months of melodrama in the Bay Area, Jonathan Kuminga was finally traded away by the Golden State Warriors. Not everyone, however, was impressed with either the player dealt or the team that did the dealing.

Appearing on “SportsCenter” this past Wednesday, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins lambasted Kuminga and the Warriors' front office in one breath. “I forgot he still played basketball, to be honest with you,” Perkins said with a bored tone. “We’ve been talking about pairing Steph with Giannis. Now, all of a sudden, it’s just Kristaps Porzingis? That doesn’t move the needle for me.”

The trade that failed to get Perk out of his seat involved Kuminga and Buddy Hield joining the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. While the NBA community eagerly watched the twists and turns of the Kuminga saga since the offseason, when the 23-year-old could not come to terms on a new contract with the Warriors, the headline coming out of this trade was definitely not Kuminga himself.

Instead, pundits like Perkins had a field day pointing out how the Warriors had to settle for a Porzingis trade after failing to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. As per Shams Charania, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy had dangled a “pick-heavy” package that was ultimately rejected by the Bucks organization.

The subsequent transaction with Atlanta was the final nail in the coffin for the Warriors’ Antetokounmpo aspirations, as Kuminga was widely viewed as a key piece in any deal aiming for the Greek Freak. Here’s the painful part for Warriors fans: In the final days leading up to the trade deadline, Golden State was reportedly on the short list of likeliest landing spots for Antetokounmpo. 

There’s no other word for it: the Warriors front office failed.

Is Perkins right when he says that Porzingis "doesn't move the needle" as far as making the most of Steph Curry's twilight? That's a fair assessment, considering that the one-time NBA champion has played just 17 games in his first season with the Hawks. Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, Curry's loyal legion of admirers has a stark reality to face.

Instead of the three-point king getting a chance to play with Antetokounmpo this season, the Warriors paired him with a 7-foot-2 question mark who is unfortunately dealing with a rare medical condition. (And Kuminga? He appears to be an afterthought now. In fact, Kendrick Perkins almost forgot about him.)