Jonathan Kuminga’s exit leaves Atlanta with a clear opening, and Asa Newell looks like the biggest beneficiary.
The Hawks may have preferred to keep Kuminga around in free agency, but his departure changes the picture for the forwards waiting behind him. Atlanta could have used another year of seasoning for some of those young players before asking them to handle more NBA speed and physicality. Still, the quickest way to grow is to actually play, and now the minutes are there.
Newell is positioned to take advantage. The backup power forward job is open, and he should be in line for rotation minutes right away to start the season.
That role would have been within reach even if Kuminga had stayed, but now it feels much more likely that Newell becomes a regular part of the nightly mix. During his rookie season, he flashed real upside in limited action.
He opened hot from three-point range, hitting an exact 50% from deep for a stretch, before the number cooled off as the season went on. Even so, finishing above 38% from outside is nothing to shrug at.
If that shooting carries over in any meaningful way in year two, Atlanta could have something special on its hands with a late first-round pick.
That said, replacing Kuminga brings a different look. Kuminga isn’t a standout three-point shooter, and while he’s not a liability from outside, Newell would give the Hawks a clear boost in that area.
There will still be bumps. Newell is being pushed into a bigger role after a rookie year that featured plenty of exclusion, and that kind of leap usually comes with growing pains. But Atlanta doesn’t need him to be perfect, and the team seems comfortable letting its development plan do the work.
Mo Gueye is another forward who could see more opportunities because of Kuminga’s departure, but he’s expected to miss the first month or two of the season after surgery on his left foot. That leaves the early-season minutes wide open, and Newell is in position to grab them.
Even if he stumbles early, he should have room to work through it. The Hawks appear ready to give him that grace.
Either way, it sets up a promising second season for Newell as Atlanta tries to make a serious move up the Eastern Conference standings.
In Other News...
Hawks Final Roster Squeeze Just Got Harder To Ignore
Jonathan Kuminga is off the board, having chosen Minnesota on a two-year contract after drawing interest from a few teams, and that matters for Atlanta because the Hawks were among the clubs keeping tabs on the market. For a team still sorting out the back end of its roster, losing one potential option only adds more pressure to a process that was already going to take some patience.
Atlanta currently has 17 players and has to trim to 15 before the regular season, but the front office may be willing to wait until certain players hit key trade-eligibility dates before it makes any moves. No decisions are locked in yet, which leaves the Hawks in a familiar late-summer holding pattern: enough bodies to make the roster math awkward, not enough clarity to know which piece comes out first. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Just Reopened The Porzingis Trade Debate In A Painful Way
Jonathan Kumingas short stop in Atlanta is already over, and his departure has brought fresh attention back to the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State. The Hawks took a swing on Kuminga after acquiring him from the Warriors, hoping the change of scenery would give them another young piece to develop as part of the roster reshuffle that followed the Porzingis move.
Instead, Kumingas time with Atlanta amounted to 16 regular-season games and six playoff appearances before the relationship ran its course. Now that he has moved on in free agency, the trade is being judged in a different light for the Hawks, who are left sorting through what the swap meant and how much of the original gamble still matters with the rest of the return no longer in place. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Just Showed How Far This Front Office Is Willing To Go
The Hawks latest move says plenty about how aggressively this front office is willing to reshape the roster under Onsi Saleh. Jonathan Kuminga never got much time to settle in Atlanta, but his arrival and quick exit fit the larger pattern of a team that is not afraid to keep turning over pieces if it believes a different path better matches its long-term plan.
Atlanta had acquired Kuminga in the trade built around Kristaps Porzingis, a deal influenced by Porzingis expiring contract and ongoing health concerns. Even with the sample size in Atlanta far too small to draw firm conclusions, the brief stint is another reminder that the Hawks are treating flexibility as a priority, and that the next move may matter just as much as the last one. [Read more 🡒]