Warriors leaders distancing themselves from Jonathan Kuminga pick

Jonathan Kuminga has demanded a trade from the Golden State Warriors, signaling the imminent end of his nearly five seasons with the team. Some of his bosses are trying to convey they were never fans of the Kuminga choice in the first place.

Two stories came out this week about which members of the organization were against drafting Kuminga with the No. 7 pick in 2021. The first said head coach Steve Kerr was among many who preferred Franz Wagner to Kuminga, before the Orlando Magic drafted Wagner with the No. 8 pick. The second was a resurfaced tale from former GM Bob Myers that one of his players texted him from the Olympics and recommended Kuminga.

Steve Kerr may have never wanted Jonathan Kuminga

According to The Athletic, "Team sources confirmed that some in the organization, including Kerr, wanted Franz Wagner, but the German big man would go eighth to Orlando in the end."

The team ultimately decided to gamble on Kuminga's greater athleticism and their prediction that he had more star potential than Wagner. The Warriors used the No. 7 pick on Kuminga and the No. 14 pick on Moses Moody despite a contingent of veterans asking the front office to trade for veteran help. It didn't matter that season, as the team rebounded to win its fourth title under Kerr.

That Kuminga struggled to get consistent playing time shouldn't have been a surprise, since he doesn't fit the model of what Kerr likes to surround Steph Curry and Draymond Green: High-IQ players can play Kerr's preferred switching defense, while being able to exploit Curry's unique ability to cause mismatches. Moody has won a starting spot by making himself into a "three-and-D" wing, but Kuminga still sees himself as an elite isolation scorer.

That's just not a fit with the Warriors. Wagner doesn't shoot three-pointers well either, but he does have a much better defensive reputation than Kuminga.

Bob Myers credited Draymond Green for his picks

Myers left the Warriors following the 2022-23 season. After the 2021 draft, he shared that Draymond Green was texting him and recommending picks, even though Green was in Tokyo competing in the Olympics. It may have been early in the morning in Japan, but Green made sure to let his GM know which players he wanted.