Warriors forward Draymond Green addressed several topics related to the team in his latest podcast, including an upcoming decision on restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga (hat tip to BasketNews).
Kuminga was an impact player for Golden State early in the season, but his role diminished after the team traded for Jimmy Butler in early February. His minutes declined once he returned from an extended absence caused a severe right ankle sprain, and he was barely used in the playoffs until injuries to Butler and Stephen Curry opened up opportunities.
The fourth-year forward is only 22 and provides athleticism and physicality that the Warriors need. However, there are concerns about playing him alongside Green and Butler because none of them are accomplished three-point shooters.
Green admitted it would be a “huge financial commitment” to bring back Kuminga, who is likely to get a significant offer if he reaches the open market. He also singled out Kuminga for dealing with the uncertainty surrounding his playing time and for thanking coach Steve Kerr in his exit interview for helping him develop as a player.
“I love the way he handled it … that was such a responsible, great, well-thought answer,” Green said. “He will get paid here, or he will get paid somewhere else.”
Green talked about the team’s collection of young talent in general, also mentioning Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gui Santos and Quinten Post. He said they all made progress during the season, but acknowledged that several of them may not return.
“When I look at our young guys, they all show promise,” Green said, “… but just off sheer numbers and the way this business works, probably not all will be back.”
It was an up-and-down season for the Warriors, who started off slowly, then surged once they acquired Butler. They narrowly missed a top-six spot in the West, then defeated Memphis in the play-in tournament and Houston in the first round before being ousted by Minnesota in five games.
Green expects his team to be back in title contention next season and said he, Curry and Butler will provide input to management on possible offseason moves.
“You just got to have a conversation … what can be seen from the stands or from some numbers — it ain’t always what it seems,” he said. “We’ll be in the weeds … trying to make it all make sense. The goals will be the goals — trying to win a championship. I stand on that 100%.”
“It was an up-and-down season for the Warriors, who started off slowly, then surged once they acquired Butler.” – this isn’t even true, they started 12-3.
“Slowly”, by Dubs’ 2015-16 season standards maybe, Davey J.
then what happened from that point to the butler trade?
@Zac C
It went: 12-3, then Melton injury, then Kuminga injury, then 13-24, then Jimmy, then 23-7. Truly up then down then up.
Aside from Buddy and Looney, literally every Warriors player had a significant injury this year.
That’s what “up and down” means. Maybe the wording isn’t perfect, but when you start strong and then play terrible, and then finish strong, thats up and down. When saying they started off slowly, just maybe they lumped the time before the deadline together.
The edit I would make would be:
“It was an up-and-down-and-up season for the Warriors, who started off on fire, 12-3, then dealt with injuries and rotation issues until they acquired Butler, which caused a 23-7 run to end the season.”
Better edit would be
It was an up and down season for the Warriors who started off 12-3, ran into trouble middle of the season going 13-24, shook up the roster acquiring butler finishing the season on a 23-7 run only to inevitably be eliminated from the playoffs as their lack of depth finally caught up with them.
Kuminga reminds me a lot of Olmedo Saenz for the A’s. Olmedo wouldn’t play a good amount of the time, but when he did, they would bat him clean up with their normal regular players in the lineup. The question begging if he’s your cleanup, hit her with the normal lineup. Why doesn’t he play all the time? That is Jonathon Kuminga. Great when he plays, but may go a week without seeing the court????
I like the comparison, rockingryan. Not as strong an example: Marco Scutaro’s time with A’s; he was mostly a utility player unless there were injuries on the infield, if memory is functioning fairly well. Then the guy goes on to STAR for the Giants during their improbable 2012 postseason which featured not one but TWO big series comebacks.
I think the most valid A’s=Warriors comp for Kuminga (really bad teams to comp because Kuminga has been a part of a title winner and the A’s have no rings since 1989) is Carlos Gonzlaez. All-world talent, but the team will trade him because they want a big name star.
there was a documentry on Scutaro a player named later i do believe. Good story on him coming out of nowhere.
ChosenDud, help me understand the Olmedo Saenz comparison, please, because it seems like it’s from left field.
@rockingryan. See my comment about Olmedo Saenz below in the thread.
my free agents analysis this summer
Wolves if Naz Reid opt out
Wolves have total $10 million tax room to sign Reid and Alexander Walker
Rockets
In February I suggested that Rockets trade away Adams, Tate and Landale, Rockets fans said no. Now all of them are likely to walk for nothing.
In February Adams = 1 First
Tate = 1 Second
Landale = 1 Second
If Rockets give VanVleet and Adams 3 years contracts, they don’t have tax room to sign Smith, Eason and Thompson
likely outcome: let Smith Walk for nothing? Keep other two
76ers
They don’t have tax room to sign Yabusele and Crimes because of #3 pick payroll
Wolves need to resign Randal who they need more. Reid is gone his defense is getting worse. Landale is still under contract.
The cap is going up so MN has more than 10m to sign them. They can let NAW walk, they have younger options to replace him. NAZ is a 6th man and any team giving him starter money will regret it. He succeeds in MN because of the role he plays.
i thought naz was a great player until watching him in the playoffs. Other teams attack him on defense. If Randale keeps playing great in the playoffs he will opt a out and sign a huge deal. Since the FA market is weak this year his best bet is to test the market and get a long term big contract.
The Warriors started out 12-3. After the Butler trade, they went 23-8. They finished 48-34. So, 35-11 when teams weren’t double teaming Curry. 13-23 when teams figured out no one else was shooting. And actually, Kuminga and Podz started the season out in a slump, unlike how they finished last season.
Draymond, I know the odds of it happening aren’t great. But if you are what’s needed to complete the mega trade I’ve been discussing since Day 1 of the Dubs’ offseason, I’m sorry, man. I’d be one of the first on board with the new and exciting direction of the franchise. I’d be grateful for your contributions, but I would not shed a single tear for your departure – and I’m not even an anti-Draymond antics fan. If the Dubs somehow find a way to trade for the player I’ve been alluding to since Day 1 of the team’s offseason, imagine how many of us will be DANCING in the streets! I’m not even much of a public dancer – but for THIS, I’d do it.
Since 2023 summer, I have strongly suggested that Warriors trade away Draymond.
He’s Curry’s guy, he’s not going anywhere
Just for reference when it comes to Jonathan Kuminga bc of base year compensation rules where whatever he signs for counts fully ( say 28 million ) for the new team but only halfv( 14 million in that scenario) for warriors when matching salaries! Won’t be any legal way to fit him in a Giannis trade this summer no that bucks would want him anyways
Some counterpoints:
1. Multi-team trades exist, salary matching in trade ideas never has to be clean, that’s only what dumb haters do because they want to find the coal lining in everything. KD to GSW proves anything can happen. You couldn’t even talk about that even potentially happening without having an avalanche of reply guy GSW haters call you stupid online back then. If anyone said AD-Luka they would also have been laughed at and ridiculed. You were wrong to do that. Still are.
2. Jimmy and Draymond can go in a trade if Giannis is coming back, those are 2 big headliners, and GSW has plenty of young players like Podz and TJD who are already from the WI area/midwest.
3. Trades in real life never match up to video game values and “fair value” does not exist in real life trades.
You can say that but the base year issue will be the same with a third team ! The nets are the only team that can bridge the gap but they wouldn’t need a sign a trade to get him and give bucks assets for him !
As for butler he doesn’t have a no trade but he’s one of the few players willing to go nuclear if he’s unhappy in a place ane he would be unhappy as a buck !you can say a third team but again someone has to make it worth bucks while
Truth is Giannis won’t be. Warrior lakers or clipper
Noel, are you aware that the base year compensation restriction ends 6 months after signing?
Yes! 6 months! In January if Giannis is still a buck and warriors have Kuminga looked up to a long term deal then they are in a good spot ! But in July there’s no working around it
Kuminga was sitting next to Lacob the other night ata WNBA game. My g bet is Kuminga goes nowhere unless a team gives the warriors something worth trading in a sign and trade.
Bc of fhe base year issues there best bet is to sign him and have him available to Trade in Jan !
But again next year Giannis counts like 56 million on the cap ! Say warriors sign kuminga for 30 million only half That counts for Matching purposes but all for the bucks! There’s no way to bridge the gap !
Now butler is a near clean Match but good looking making him happy being a buck or a third team wanting him to make it worth bucks while
Noel1982: I laid it out in a previous thread. Kuminga, Dray, and a third Warrior around the $10M or under threshold would align better than Jimmy alone (along with picks), which Bucks would assuredly balk at. Perhaps send Moody as the third guy out. I’d try keep Podz and TJD. If you think about it, wouldn’t a deal like this make a lot of sense? It would imply that the Bob Myers era is officially over (Kuminga, Moody, and Dray all drafted by him). This would be the second BIGTIME player-movement transaction for Dunleavy Jr. – and he’d be keeping the guys he selected in recent drafts (TJD, Post), who both would take on bigger roles next season with Looney gone (ANOTHER Myers guy). Podz moves way up in the pecking order with Moody gone (Myers guy). Send one Green out (Dray) for another Green (AJ – the second main piece incoming).
But it won’t be cba compliment ! The bucks can’t take on the salaries to make up for Kuminga onky countung half on the salaries warriors are sending out ! The nets are the only team that can make up the difference for both teams but they will want assets themselves ,
Truly warriors need the Giannis trade to drag into January where they can start up trade the Kuminga Salary assuming they sign him
I meant compliant ! But I also really mean is he likely won’t be a warrior! I can see him being ok with a younger contender that can more easily make a trade with bucks
I agree they can match the offer and then trade him later if he is not working out.
They are lucky nets aren’t likely to be interested and nobody else has cap space so they will negotiate from a position of strength! Unless he takes the qualifying offer then he will have trade veto rights
Olmedo Saenz? Wow. It’s hard to think of a worse comparison.
> (Kuminga) is great when he plays, but may go a
> week without seeing the court.
Only Draymond and Steph have played more mins per game than Kuminga over the last 2 years. Other than recently being benched for 3 straight playoff games, Kuminga has ALWAYS been in the rotation.
In other words he’s NEVER gone “a week without seeing the court” before then.
Olmedo Saenz played his first full season at 28 yrs old, after 12 years in the minor leagues. so he was never a “young” player. Nobody expected Olmedo Saenz to develop much over his career, nor did he.
Kuminga was 18 yrs old beginning his first season, and is Kuminga 22 years old now. He was our best player in the Minnesota series. To put that in perspective, no player younger than Kuminga on the other 7 teams played 1 minute in the 2nd round of the playoffs.
If you want to go for an A’s compare player I would say Todd Van Poppel. The guy was to be the next great Ace but never did much. Hopefully Kuminga doesn’t end up like him.
Nah, its 100% Carlos Gonzalez, who was “the next big thing” they traded for a big name star (Matt Holliday). Kuminga will likely be traded within the next 12-24 months for a big name star, we just don’t know what one.
Carlos became good on other teams so if he leaves and becomes a star that would be a good comparison.
Never has a young player inspired so much dislike amongst its fans as Kuminga. The threads of the past few days are filled with factual inaccuracies about him. A new reader would think he’s an overpaid veteran.
He’s 22. None of the other 7 teams in the 2nd round used a younger player. And he was GSW’s best player in the series. But fans of the oldest in the league would prefer that he were gone. It’s strange.
I don’t get why any warrior fan would dislike him. Its like how some fans disliked Poole or Branes. Its like some fans disliked T-wolves but they just played and di what they needed to do. I blame Kerr for not trusting his young players enough.
I said ir on draft day. It’s not easy to work in 19 yr old talents. To help the team compete. The presois high on the coaching staff and player. And that’s excatly what happened. And thats been my point since day one. Except all the crybabies here. All they want is someone to blame. It’s lunacy to trash the very guy you need to help your team. Even if its in a trade.
Yet I been saying it for years now. Warriors blew it Wiseman and are blowing it with Kuminga …
What bothers me as a basketball fan. Is how so called fans are quick to blame 19 yr old draft pick. And have excuses for old men who run a franchise. It’s hilarious that all these so called fans. Don’t understand. They lose …. Its not about blame. Cleanly he has talent. Clearly there is an issue with Kerr. Be thankful he showed out in playoffs. Cause now you will get better value in a trade.
This is for @Giants74 …. only. All you do is cry for Warriors. Instead of looking out for a valuable talent, asset. Kerr and Warriors have failed Kuminga. And all you do is make it worse by trashing him. Only a clown trashes a valuable asset that can help your team immensely. You have tried to make this about me. All I do is call as I see it. All you do is trash the very guy who can save your team in a trade. If you ran the Warriors. Kuminga would be like Wiseman and have nothing to show for it. Thats team failure ….
Kuminga avg 24 mins during the season.
Schroder who was here for 24 gms avg 26 mins mins a game. Kuminga wouldn’t have even played in the playoffs if Jimmy didn’t go down. Then if Steph didn’t go down. So it’s clear he is not a part of this team. Be thankful he showed out. So now you will get value for him in a trade.