The Jonathan Kuminga saga has been one of the biggest storylines around the Golden State Warriors this offseason.
But according to guard Brandin Podziemski, the noise outside hasn’t shaken the locker room inside.
“Obviously, everybody on our team knows it’s the media’s job to try to nitpick and find things to write and talk about and separate teammates so they have a story to write,” Podziemski said speaking on Willard and Dibs. “Like, we all know that’s how it works; especially the guys who have been around it for 10 to 15 years, they know how it works.”
Podziemski made it clear that Kuminga’s standing with the team hasn’t changed despite the unrest.
“Everybody in the locker room knows no matter how that situation’s resolved, it doesn’t change our viewpoint of JK as a person [and] as a player,” he said. “Obviously, we all want him to be in Golden State; that’s the whole point. But it doesn’t change anything.”
The Warriors remain the only team yet to make a major offseason move, largely because of Kuminga’s contract standoff with the front office. But for players like Podziemski, the focus stays on their own preparation.
“The media is going to portray it one way to try and make people think differently of it,” Podziemski said. “But it doesn’t change my perspective. I know all I can control is being the best version of Brandin Podziemski that I can be going into my third year, and everything else is going to fall how it may.”
While it’s uncertain how the Warriors’ executives will handle Kuminga’s future, Podziemski reiterated what the locker room wants. He and his teammates are hoping Kuminga is back in a Golden State uniform when the 2025-26 season tips off.
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