For fans still questioning the trade of Jonathan Kuminga, Mike Dunleavy Jr. is finally offering an explanation. The Golden State Warriors GM addressed the controversial decision to move the former lottery pick to the Atlanta Hawks, pushing back against criticism that the team mishandled one of its most promising young players.

Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, spent five seasons in Golden State and was part of the franchise’s championship run during his rookie year. But tensions surrounding his role and development eventually led to his departure at the February trade deadline. Dunleavy, who ultimately gave the green light for the trade move, gave his two cents on the controversial trade move while speaking on The Willard and Dibs Show earlier today.

“With young players and player development and all that stuff, you want to put your best foot forward. I think we did that,” Dunleavy Jr. said. “The key in all this I’ve learned is you have to have buy-in from the player, and you have to have buy-in from the organization. There’s buy-in’s on both ends. And that wasn’t fully met if I’m looking back on it. And that’s on both sides.”

Since moving to Atlanta, Kuminga seems to be enjoying playing basketball once again. In three games for the Hawks, Kuminga is averaging 21.3 points (career average with GSW 12.5 PPG) and 7.7 total (4.2 RPG) rebounds.

Warriors GM Backs Youngsters to Shine After Jonathan Kuminga Exit

Dunleavy Jr. doubled down on his assessment without being critical of Kuminga. Instead, he insists the Warriors are happy with the talent they possess in the form of youngsters Gui Santos, Quinten Post, and Brandin Podziemski. He wished Kuminga good luck for his career, but wants the present core group in San Francisco to grab this opportunity and thrive.

“These things don’t always work out, though. This isn’t the first draft pick the Warriors have made, or the league has made, where it just hasn’t worked out, and guys move on and do better in different situations, and that’s just the NBA. I frankly experienced it myself. So that’s the way it goes. We’re moving on, he’s moving on. It’s all good, and you know, we feel good about the young players we have, the way they’re growing, and all that, and we’ll continue down that path,” the Dubs GM concluded.

Santos, who arrived as a second-round pick from Brazil in 2022, was handed a three-year contract worth $15 million last month following a string of impressive displays. Podziemski, a 2023 first-round pick (19th overall), is having his beast season in the league, averaging 12.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG this campaign.

Dunleavy Jr’s words come at a time when the Warriors are finding it hard to cope without Curry. But last night’s 115-113 OT win over the Houston Rockets proves that these youngsters have the ‘x-factor’ to step up in clutch moments. The Kuminga gamble might pay off, or it might not. But trusting young blood is a tactic that has worked for multiple teams in the league.