Draymond Green still believes Jonathan Kuminga could have a very bright NBA future.

The Warriors forward discussed on the latest episode of his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” Golden State trading Kuminga, along with guard Buddy Hield, to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline and shared his appreciation for how Kuminga handled himself throughout his four-plus seasons with Golden State, despite not receiving consistent playing time after he was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft.

“When you’re the seventh pick in the NBA draft, you usually go to a place where they’re going to give you the ball, they’re going to allow you to make a ton of mistakes, and you grow through those mistakes in hopes that you become a key, cornerstone, franchise piece to the rebuild of the team that drafted you with the seventh pick,” Green said of Kuminga.

“You’re usually not drafted to a team that’s good enough to compete and win a championship that year. That’s the hand Jonathan Kuminga was dealt. And so I appreciate the way he handled it, the maturity he showed in handling the situation the entire time, even when the writing was on the wall and everybody in the world kind of knew a trade was going to happen.

Kuminga showed flashes of star potential with the Warriors but ultimately was a difficult scheme fit with Golden State and was unable to establish a consistent role in coach Steve Kerr’s rotations, leading to a plethora of DNP-CDs (Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision) over the years, especially throughout his final season in the Bay.

It’s unclear exactly what his role will be with the Hawks or how much he will see the floor throughout the remainder of the season, but Atlanta, which has multiple young, athletic wings, highlighted by fifth-year breakout forward Jalen Johnson, should be a better scheme fit for Kuminga.

“I wish him well on the journey to Atlanta,” Green added. “[I hope] he can go thrive, that he can go become a cornerstone of that franchise with Jalen Johnson. Those two guys running down at full speed in transition, good luck.”

The Hawks on Saturday announced Kuminga, who dealt with a knee bruise in the weeks leading up to the deadline, will remain out through the All-Star break and will be re-evaluated shortly after.

Then we will see what the 23-year-old can do with his new team.

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