Who Did Steve Kerr Reportedly Want Warriors to Draft Instead of Jonathan Kuminga amid Trade Rumors?
Head coach Steve Kerr reportedly was among the contingent of Golden State Warriors staffers who preferred another prospect over Jonathan Kuminga in the 2021 NBA draft.
The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II, Sam Amick and Nick Friedell reported Kerr had Franz Wagner atop his wishlist.
Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN first reported in September on the internal support behind Wagner on draft night. They described team governor Joe Lacob as "a driving force" behind the choice of Kuminga.
A clear winner has emerged between Wagner and Kuminga.
Wagner has averaged 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and three assists through five seasons while being a key player during the Orlando Magic's 2024 and 2025 playoff trips. He's also in the first year of his five-year, $224.2 million contract.
Kuminga, meanwhile, is glued to the bench in Golden State, having fallen out of favor with Kerr. Five years in, he's not a dramatically better player than he was when he first entered the NBA.
It's worth asking, though, whether Wagner would've followed along the same trajectory if the Warriors had picked him over Kuminga.
In 2021-22, the Magic were in the midst of a major rebuild and went on to finish 22-60. Their entire focus was on developing talent and building for the future. They could afford to start Wagner for 79 games and let him work through his issues on the court.
It was the same story a year later, when Orlando lost 48 games after adding Paolo Banchero to its young foundation.
The Warriors were at the complete opposite end of the spectrum as they beat the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
There wasn't really a starting place for Kuminga in a frontcourt that included Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. He averaged 16.9 minutes per game that year and saw his usage dip to 8.6 in the playoffs.
In addition, Wiggins' performance during the title run only solidified his value to the team, making it tougher for Kuminga to break through. On the heels of that success, the Warriors inked Wiggins to a $109 million extension.
As the cliche goes, the cream always rises to the top.
Maybe there's an alternate reality where Wagner's talent is too good to ignore and he thrives on the Warriors in a way Kuminga never has. But the circumstances he had in Orlando were far more beneficial to his individual development than Kuminga has been afforded in the Bay Area.
