The podcast of Draymond Green gives him reason to comment on all the other stories going around the NBA today. Green chimed in on the recent news of former Golden State Warriors player Jonathan Kuminga having to take a much smaller contract than expected. Kuminga struggled with the Warriors not playing him consistently to require taking some chances in his career.
Green made it clear that he loves Kuminga, but he also felt it was right to call out his agent for going on podcast to discuss the deal:
“This is a tough one for me because I love JK. And I’ve met Aaron, a great guy. But this is this is no good… Number one, absolutely unnecessary to talk about this man’s pockets on a podcast, […] talking about a guy’s money and how much they lost and what they gained and like talking about somebody’s 11 and a half million dollars, ‘that’s it’… ‘THAT’S IT’?! This ain’t Monopoly money!”
Kuminga’s agent Aaron Turner has made some controversial comments when discussing why they took this deal. Last offseason saw Kuminga turning down offers to test the market this offseason. Even a trade to the Atlanta Hawks saw Kuminga failing to do enough to raise his stock and get a strong long-term contract.
Why Draymond Green Called Out Kuminga’s Agent
The quote featured Green referencing multiple issues with Turner speaking so confidently as if he’s a player or coach in the league. Kuminga taking a smaller deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves to prove he can contribute to winning basketball was considered a failure across the league since he held out for more money.
Green felt Turner came off poorly for speaking so bluntly about Kuminga’s money as if it was a Monopoly game. One funny twist is that Green’s agent Rich Paul is another agent who speaks candidly, but he became a public figure due to his association with LeBron James.
Draymond thinks that Turner both did a bad job representing Kuminga to see his contract offer diminishing and now is running his mouth about it. Few NBA players would be content with an agent behaving like this after a disappointing offseason of only the Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers showing huge interest.
Why Teams Didn’t Want Jonathan Kuminga
Today’s NBA is quite different from any other era to see certain players getting left behind. Kuminga is currently only known for his scoring to see him holding less value. Impressive scorer Cam Thomas is still on the free agent market for similar reasons.
Younger rising star Bennedict Mathurin had to settle for a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans due to the same fears of his all-around game tanking his value. Kuminga is not trusted to be a clear help to a contender.
Minnesota took the chance on him due to lacking forward depth after losing both Julius Randle and Naz Reid to land LaMelo Ball. Kuminga and his agent must both hope he has a great tenure with the Timberwolves to set up a bigger contract down the line.
Draymond Green Rips Apart Jonathan Kuminga’s Agent