When the Golden State Warriors traded Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, it created a storm of discussion around the league. Many questioned Steve Kerr's ability to develop young players. 95. According to a post from The Game, Kerr is now hitting back at fans who are critical of the Warriors' youth development.
"Any frustration from our fans is probably coming from the idea that young players should get it right away. It doesn't work that way."
– Steve Kerr addressed some fans' opinion that he "doesn't develop young players" (via). @willardanddibs). pic.twitter.com/5Ch2uReWbb
- 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) 5 March 2026
Kerr emphasized that youth development involves a process. Furthermore, he indicated that it is more complicated than giving them all the minutes.
The Warriors are still technically contending, sitting at 31-30 and eighth in the Western Conference. But recent games have shown that this season is starting to get away from them.
Things began to deteriorate for the team when Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending injury. Then, Stephen Curry suffered a knee injury, which has kept him out since January 30. The Warriors officially traded Kuminga, ending an experiment that looked promising at one point but failed over time.
After winning four titles over the past decade, the Warriors hoped to continue building their roster by keeping Curry, Butler, Draymond Green and other veterans who can help them. But after drafting Kuminga in 2021, they weren't able to develop him into the star that Curry and Butler are.
Kuminga never averaged more than 16.1 points with the Warriors. In three games with the Hawks, he is averaging 21.3 points per game. Brandin Podziemski has been a solid role player, but still isn't developing as quickly, averaging 12.4 points per game while shooting 44.7% from the floor, including 36.2% from the triple. Meanwhile, Moses Moody has battled injuries while averaging 11.9 points per game.
Assuming Curry returns, he will once again be the main focus as the Warriors attempt to make a run at the end of the season. But the Warriors' youth development hasn't gone according to plan, and Kerr may be tired of hearing about it.
