The Jonathan Kuminga trade rumors are reaching critical mass. Despite there being no true framework for a trade in place, at least as far as the public is aware, various mock trades, talent evaluations, and conflicting opinions about Kuminga and other people in the Golden State Warriors' top brass have been circulating among the Warriors' fandom.

Kuminga himself reportedly demanded a trade on the day he became trade-eligible — two days ago on January 15th — and has not spoken with the media since. Having been out of the rotation for a while, his trade request doesn't necessarily impact any team happenings, and Steve Kerr and the players are making sure it stays that way within their locker room.

After the Warriors' game on Thursday against the Knicks, Green spoke about Kuminga and came to his defense.

"(The trade request) won't be a distraction because he's not a distraction. How he handles it is everything. If he handles it a certain way, then it becomes a distraction. But it doesn't have to be, and the way he's handled himself, the way he's dealt with things not going his way says a lot about his character. Everyone around here can confidently say it won't be a distraction because he's not a distraction."

When asked what he wants for Kuminga, Green gave an answer fitting for the leader he is and the teammate he has been to Kuminga. 

"I desire to see him reach his full potential. Wherever that is in this league, it's not always where we envision it... For a guy like that, who's drafted with the 7th pick, you expect it all to go the way you want it to go, the way you think it should go. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out that way, but that doesn't make him any worse of a player, that doesn't make this any worse of an organization — sometimes, things just don't work out."

It's a veteran response from a guy who's been in the league for 14 years and has seen essentially everything there is to see throughout his time with the Warriors.

The big question many are still asking is why Kuminga wasn't able to be a factor with the Warriors, and if he would be able to contribute elsewhere.

Especially considering how the first few weeks of the season went — Kuminga looked fully bought in as a part of the starting lineup and was averaging career-bests across the board — it's a bit puzzling to see him now fall to the wayside.

The simple answer that Kuminga's playstyle simply doesn't fit with how the Warriors play. Even though he was bought in on defense, rebounding, and ultra-motion offense at the beginning of the year, Kuminga's play has always been at its best when he can work with the ball in his hands on isolations. It showed in the playoffs last year against the Timberwolves when Curry was out, and Kuminga got to take over for some gaudy statistical numbers, but that also resulted in zero wins, and that's the major issue.

Kuminga's playstyle is often seen as an antithesis to winning basketball. Ball movement, team defense, and smart shots are often pointed to as some of the foundations for championship teams, yet Kuminga is more suited to taking his defender one-on-one and finding offense that may be a higher degree of difficulty than it should be.

Kuminga would likely be a good fit on a team like the Kings, where he can play free basketball and be a downhill iso scorer that would benefit the team and fit into their system. For the Warriors, though, who predicate themselves on constant ball and player movement to maximize players like Curry and Green, it's a rough match that leads to these uncomfortable realities.