The Atlanta Hawks made one of the more surprising moves of the season when they sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. At first glance, it looked like a head-scratcher.
Porzingis, a 7-foot-3 stretch big with All-Star pedigree, heading out the door? But when you dig a little deeper, the logic starts to emerge - and it all hinges on what Onsi Saleh, Atlanta’s head of basketball operations, does next.
Let’s start with the basics: Porzingis just wasn’t part of the Hawks’ long-term plans. Since arriving in Atlanta, he played in fewer than a third of the team’s games.
Injuries have always been a concern with him, and at 30 years old, he didn’t exactly fit the timeline of a team that’s clearly pivoting toward a youth-first rebuild. Saleh himself has said the Hawks are building for the future - and Porzingis, for all his talent, wasn’t going to be part of that.
On the flip side, Golden State was dealing with its own internal friction. Jonathan Kuminga, once seen as a key piece of the Warriors’ future, had grown increasingly frustrated with his role.
Head coach Steve Kerr even acknowledged some fault in how things played out, but it was clear the relationship had run its course. There were concerns about Kuminga’s effort and his presence in the locker room, and while the truth probably sits somewhere in the middle, both sides needed a fresh start.
So the trade - Porzingis for Kuminga and Hield - wasn’t just about talent. It was about timing, fit, and future flexibility. And from Atlanta’s side, it gave them a shot at a high-upside wing in Kuminga while offloading an aging, injury-prone big man who didn’t align with their direction.
But here’s where it gets tricky: what happens next with Kuminga could define how this trade is remembered.
Kuminga’s contract situation is delicate. Last offseason, he was involved in one of the league’s more contentious restricted free agency standoffs.
He didn’t want to stay in Golden State, but no team stepped up with an offer sheet. Eventually, he signed a two-year, $46.8 million deal - with a team option for next season.
Now, Saleh has three options. And only one of them keeps Atlanta in the driver’s seat.
**Option 1: Decline the team option and re-sign Kuminga to a long-term deal. **
This is the riskiest path. While Kuminga has shown flashes of being a dynamic two-way player, his inconsistency and off-court questions make a long-term investment hard to justify.
He hasn’t proven enough across his first three seasons to warrant a multi-year deal with significant money attached. For a front office that’s prioritized flexibility and optionality, locking into a big contract for an unproven 23-year-old would be a sharp pivot - and not a wise one.
**Option 2: Pick up the $24.3 million team option. **
This move would keep Kuminga in Atlanta for another year, but at a steep price. While it doesn’t tie up future cap space beyond next season, it would eat into the Hawks’ flexibility in the short term - potentially limiting their ability to chase undervalued free agents or take on contracts in trades.
If the goal is to find the next Nickeil Alexander-Walker or a breakout role player on a bargain deal, this move makes it harder to operate.
**Option 3: Decline the option and re-sign Kuminga to a short-term, lower-cost deal. **
This is the sweet spot - and admittedly, the hardest to pull off. If Saleh can convince Kuminga to return on a one-year deal in the $10-15 million range, Atlanta keeps its cap sheet clean while giving the young forward a chance to prove himself in a new environment.
Even better, by declining the option and then re-signing him, the Hawks could use Bird rights to go over the cap, preserving their flexibility to make other moves. That’s the kind of chess move that could turn a risky trade into a long-term win.
There’s no doubt Kuminga has talent. He’s a rangy, athletic forward with the tools to be a high-level defender and a capable scorer.
But potential doesn’t pay off unless it turns into production - and consistency has been the missing piece so far. Atlanta’s front office is betting that a change of scenery and a defined role can unlock the version of Kuminga that many scouts saw coming out of the G League Ignite.
But there’s no guarantee. And that’s why Onsi Saleh has to play this next move carefully.
Overcommitting to Kuminga too soon could backfire. But if the Hawks can manage his contract wisely - and give him the right environment to grow - this deal could quietly become one of the smarter plays of the year.
For now, the trade is a swing at upside. Whether it connects depends entirely on what happens this offseason.