At this point, it is a matter of when, not if, the Golden State Warriors will trade their young forward Jonathan Kuminga. Draymond Green recently spoke glowingly of the 23-year-old, but it's too late to salvage his time with the franchise.
Green spoke about Kuminga on his podcast and said that in a recent game, Brandin Podziemski had come out and was frustrated that head coach Steve Kerr had done so because he was still trying to establish a rhythm.
Kuminga took the role of veteran and talked Podziemski down, assuring him that he would get back in the game and that he just had to adjust to the flow of the game.
Draymond Green's kind Jonathan Kuminga words won't change Warriors exit
Green was clearly impressed with Kuminga's maturity in that moment, even if there was some clear irony that Podziemski was complaining about being pulled from the game to someone who is literally not playing at all. Kuminga has been out of the rotation in 12 of the past 13 games because the Warriors know they will trade him and don't want to risk the potential for injury.
The anecdote from Green really does speak to the kind of person Kuminga is and how he has handled a fairly difficult situation. It would have been easy for him to complain or make a fuss about no longer getting playing time, but he's done none of that and has not made himself a major distraction for the team.
Sure, other players have been asked a lot of questions about Kuminga, but fortunately he hasn't thrown gasoline onto the situation with any fiery or aggrieved comments. That is impressive maturity from a 23-year-old and reflects well on the type of teammate and leader he can be going forward.
Of course, the fact that Kuminga is still getting millions of dollars helps matters, but we have seen athletes raise a fuss and draw attention to themselves for much less. Green even acknowledged the likelihood that Kuminga will be moved, saying that wherever Kuminga may end up that team will be getting a good guy.
Unfortunately, the Warriors were just never able to make Kuminga mesh consistently through over four seasons. His style of play was just not quite compatible with the offense Golden State typically likes to run, especially when Stephen Curry is on the floor.
Maybe he will end up in a spot where his style can be accommodated, but at the very least it seems like whoever ends up with Kuminga will be getting someone who is a very supportive teammate.