For months, Jonathan Kuminga’s role with the Warriors didn’t just shrink—it vanished. No explanations. No public defense. Just silence. Around the league, that silence has fueled conspiracy theories: that Golden State’s veterans had quietly decided Kuminga was expendable long before he demanded out.

The last few months have been extremely tough for Kuminga, as he hasn’t played a game since December 18, and he has hardly made an issue of it, being at his respectful best. Now that his departure is more or less confirmed, there have been conspiracy theories that most of the Warriors veterans, like Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Jimmy Butler, didn’t like Kuminga, and hence they never voiced their opinion on his situation.

“The veteran leadership with Steph, Draymond, and Jimmy Butler saying it’s not a distraction at all, this thing at all is not a distraction, we love JK. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, not them specifically, but the locker room was all telling stories about they can’t stand him,” NBA Insider Logan Murdock said on Ringer’s The NBA Show Real Ones Podcast.

Green replied to Murdock’s thoughts on Threads with a comment comprising a couple of cap emojis, suggesting that those are all lies. Instead, Green praised Kuminga for his humility and attitude throughout the entire fiasco.

“He’s dealing with it better than probably I would,” Green said with a laugh on Prime Video’s Nightcap. “The way he’s dealt with this at 23 years old, I tip my hat to him because he’s stayed engaged, he’s in here working out every day, his attitude is the same every day. He comes in with a smile … he’s almost talking too much on the bench! And that is a compliment in itself.”

Green highlighted how things were going great for the 23-year-old as he signed a big contract with the team that drafted him. It was all meant to fall in place, but it didn’t, and even in all of the chaos, Kuminga held his own, showed up to the drills, and hardly complained.

Green feels that this attitude will take Kuminga a long way, not only in his basketball career but also in life.

Stephen Curry shares his thoughts on Jonathan Kuminga trade fiasco

Throughout the Jonathan Kuminga drama at the Warriors, there have been multiple conversations about the franchise’s veteran not caring about the 23-year-old. Even former Detroit Pistons star Isiah Thomas highlighted that the best players would often help the team get better, and he questioned Curry, Green, and Butler for not being vocal on the entire Kuminga situation.

While many believe the Kuminga trade saga has hindered the Warriors’ progress this season, Stephen Curry immediately debunked such notions after Thursday night’s 126-113 win over the New York Knicks.

He firmly stood his ground, highlighting that the situation around Kuminga’s trade doesn’t make any difference to the Dubs on the court.

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“It’s not a distraction at all,” Curry said. “It’s a very unique situation, but our job is to just keep playing, keep winning. It’ll resolve itself one way or the other.”

Buttler also reiterated Curry’s words, wishing Kuminga the best for his future. “We love JK in this locker room,” Butler said. “That’s not going to change. If it happens he’s not being here, we still rock with JK. I speak for everybody.”

So the message from the Warriors veterans is that they are sticking to their season goals, and the entire Jonathan Kuminga trade saga isn’t a distraction for them, as many believe.

The Warriors are currently eighth in the Western Conference with a 23-19 record and are desperate to climb the ladder and improve their position. They have a rhythm going right now with five wins out of the last seven games.