In the wake of Jonathan Kuminga’s trade request, a moment from the 2021 NBA Draft is back in the spotlight - and Draymond Green is standing firm on the role he played in it.
Back then, the Warriors held the seventh and 14th overall picks. Green, never one to shy away from speaking his mind, texted then-GM Bob Myers with his preferred selections.
His choices? Jonathan Kuminga at No. 7 and Moses Moody at No.
- Fast forward to today, and the conversation around those picks has gotten a lot more complicated - particularly with Kuminga’s recent struggles - but Green isn’t backing down from his draft-day convictions.
Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, the veteran forward opened up about his involvement in the draft process and why he still stands by both selections.
“I would always give suggestions in drafts and free agency and all of that stuff. That's what you do when you have successful teams,” Green said. “And yes, I still believe and love the Jonathan Kuminga pick and Moses Moody pick.”
That belief, especially in Kuminga, is being tested. Now in his fifth season with Golden State, Kuminga has found himself on the outside of Steve Kerr’s rotation.
He’s averaging 11.8 points per game on 43.1% shooting - numbers that suggest flashes of promise, but not the consistent impact the Warriors were hoping for from a top-10 pick. Still, Green isn’t ready to call it a miss.
“With JK, it hasn't gone so well,” Green admitted. “I've built a relationship that'll last the rest of my life that I'm forever grateful for. But it just hasn't quite gone the way anyone would have wanted it to go.”
Despite the disappointing trajectory so far, Green defended the decision to draft Kuminga in the strongest terms.
“What we do is an inexact science. That's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes,” he said. “If you wouldn't have drafted JK with the seventh pick, you're an idiot.”
As for Moody, the story’s been a little different - and a little steadier. While he hasn’t broken out as a star, he’s carved out a defined role on a veteran-heavy team, which is no small feat. Moody has started 30 of the 41 games he’s played this season, bringing a reliable blend of perimeter defense and three-point shooting that fits right into the Warriors’ system.
“Moses, I think, it has worked,” Green said. “Moses is a starter on this team.
He signed a second contract. He has a role and a niche on this team.”
And just like with Kuminga, Green didn’t mince words about Moody’s value.
“If you don't think he's worth the 14th pick, you're an idiot,” he said. “He's a great rotational piece, a starting player on our team.”
Moody’s ceiling may not be as high as Kuminga’s, but his floor is clearly more stable - and in the NBA, sometimes that counts just as much. He’s not lighting up the box score, but he’s doing the little things that keep him on the floor. That kind of consistency has earned him staying power in Golden State.
For Green, though, this goes beyond stats or rotations. It’s about belief in the people behind the picks - and he’s not giving up on either of them.
“Love those guys. And they both got bright futures in this league,” he said. “And I will continue to watch them fulfill those futures, fulfill their dreams, reach their level of greatness, whatever that level of greatness within them is.”
“I look forward to them reaching that and I will continue to be big fans of their journeys.”
In other words, Draymond Green isn’t just defending his draft takes - he’s doubling down on them. And in a league where hindsight is always 20/20, that kind of loyalty says a lot.