Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob is under renewed internal fire after the franchise finally moved on from Jonathan Kuminga — the player once pegged as the cornerstone of the team’s next championship window.
According to a detailed ESPN report by Anthony Slater, Lacob’s heavy-handed involvement in basketball decisions, especially during the 2021 NBA Draft, has become a major point of tension inside the organization.
One team source put it bluntly: “Let your basketball people make basketball decisions.”
Lacob Personally Championed Kuminga in 2021 Draft
Slater’s reporting reveals that Lacob played an outsized role in the Warriors selecting Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick. He became enamored with the young forward during the pre-draft process, including a private dinner in Miami just days before the draft. Multiple sources said Lacob was convinced Kuminga could become the face of the franchise and continued to back him strongly for years.
That belief persisted even as concerns grew inside the building about whether Kuminga’s game would ever fit Golden State’s motion offense and defensive principles.
Coaching Staff Wanted Franz Wagner Instead
The Warriors held more than 70 pre-draft workouts that year. Several members of the coaching staff — including those who attended Franz Wagner’s session — came away “adamant” that the German wing would be a perfect fit in Steve Kerr’s system. Wagner was ultimately taken one pick later at No. 8 by the Orlando Magic and has since become a star, averaging at least 20 points per game in each of the past three seasons.
Head coach Steve Kerr, who was with Team USA preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, was only sporadically updated on the draft process and did not have a strong opinion on Kuminga.
Decision Made at the Very Top
On draft night, both Kuminga and Wagner were still on the board. Lacob pushed hard for Kuminga during a small-group meeting in Miami that included then-GM Bob Myers and then-assistant GM Mike Dunleavy. Then-assistant coach Kenny Atkinson ran Kuminga’s workout and remained one of his biggest supporters.
When the pick was announced, Lacob explained the choice by saying the Warriors needed “physicality” and “athleticism.”
The Pick Became a Flashpoint
Over the next four seasons, the decision to take Kuminga over Wagner turned into a recurring source of internal friction. Kuminga’s isolation-heavy style never fully meshed with Golden State’s system, and he struggled to earn a consistent role. Meanwhile, Lacob’s very public celebrations of Kuminga’s big games were seen by some inside the organization as an attempt to justify the original selection — a dynamic that reportedly complicated trade talks for years.
Chapter Finally Closed
Last week, the Warriors traded Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that brought back Kristaps Porziņģis, effectively ending one of the most scrutinized five-year tenures in recent franchise history.
The move has now triggered fresh conversations inside the organization about the proper balance between ownership vision and basketball operations. Around the league, Lacob’s handling of the Kuminga situation is being viewed as a cautionary tale: even well-intentioned owner involvement can create major problems when it overrides the people hired to make basketball decisions.
The Kuminga era is officially over in the Bay — and the internal reckoning is just beginning.