NBA fans are reacting to an article by The Athletic, claiming that Steve Kerr actually wanted Franz Wagner instead of Jonathan Kuminga in the 2021 draft. While Kuminga has been impressing with the Warriors since his signing, Wagner has been stunning on the court with the Magic.
Fans don’t exactly seem shocked at this report, but many are calling out the timing of the release of this particular juicy gossip. Kuminga has put in a trade request recently and clearly wants out of the team, despite doing pretty decently there.
“Steve Kerr reportedly wanted to draft Franz Wagner over Jonathan Kuminga, per @TheAthletic. ‘Team sources confirmed that some in the organization, including Kerr, wanted Franz Wagner, but the German big man would go eighth to Orlando in the end. In a push to inject the Warriors’ roster with much-needed athleticism and potential starpower, Kuminga was drafted as part of the foundation of the post-Curry era long with the Wiseman.” NBA Central tweeted, sharing a snippet from the main article.
Steve Kerr reportedly wanted to draft Franz Wagner over Jonathan Kuminga, per @TheAthletic
“Team sources confirmed that some in the organization, including Kerr, wanted Franz Wagner, but the German big man would go eighth to Orlando in the end. In a push to inject the Warriors’… pic.twitter.com/dxxoEtY4Wr
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 15, 2026
“Ofc this comes out now (crying emoji)” one fan highlighted the timing of it all.
“damn so that explains why kerr always had all this animosity towards kuminga since the beginning of his career…he never wanted him and that could’ve potentially subconsciously caused him to mismanage JK and his development. I lowkey feel bad for kuminga,” another fan said.
“They just be making sh*t up now. What would they have done with Franz Wagner but played with him the same exact way they play with Kuminga. Franz isn’t a Know down 3 point shooter and he is like a Lock down defender. Franz Wagner game is at the Rim just like Kumingas. So Kerr trying to leak a false story to make himself look better amongst the fan base. They literally drafted 6’10” Patrick Baldwin Jr. in the first round the next year. Who was actually a good shooter and considered a good defender coming out of college. Kerr never played him instead traded him with Jordan Poole. So why would he develop Franz Wagner is he has had a hard time developing Wiseman Kuminga and Moody?? Steve Kerr thinks he slick by trying to leak a fake story (facepalming emoji, double exclamatory point emoji x2)” one fan explained.
NBA Fans Continue To Mock Steve Kerr For Leaking News
It looks like the majority of the NBA fans are not ready to believe Steve Kerr for cooking up a false narrative surrounding himself and JK. One thing is for sure, Kuminga is not happy and will soon leave the Warriors.
“This coming out after Kuminga requesting a trade (laughing with tears emoji x2)” one fan said.
“WHY ARE WE RELEASING THIS NOW” one fan asked.
“Why are they just now telling us??” another fan echoed.
Many Warriors are imagining how the team would have been if Wagner had indeed joined instead of Kuminga. Several feel that this situation would not worked any better for the Warriors, especially since Kerr seems to be doing a shoddy job with the players right now.
