Jonathan Kuminga’s path out of Atlanta looks nearly closed now, and the Hawks’ latest move only sharpened that reality.
On Sunday, Atlanta traded for Lu Dort in a three-team deal with Oklahoma City and Dallas, a move that not only bolstered its wing depth but also made it harder to see a future for Kuminga with the franchise. The Hawks also brought in young guard Ryan Nembhard, pushing their roster to 17 and further crowding the picture for the 23-year-old forward.
Kuminga was already in a precarious spot after Atlanta declined his $24.3 million team option. With limited salary cap space around the league, he needs a sign-and-trade to land the kind of contract he wants, which means Atlanta would have to cooperate in any deal. There had been some speculation the Hawks might circle back and keep him on a more team-friendly number, but the Dort acquisition appears to have shut that door.
The move also makes the Warriors’ side of the deal look stronger. Golden State already came away with a starting-calibre center in Kristaps Porzingis, and he has since re-signed to a new two-year contract extension. Against that backdrop, Kuminga’s departure from Atlanta now looks even more likely to stick.
His time with the Hawks was brief anyway: 16 regular season games and six more in the playoffs. Zaccharie Risascher’s exit in the trade wouldn’t have changed much for Kuminga if he had somehow returned, since he was already ahead of the Frenchman in the rotation. But Dort brings a different kind of weight to the roster, giving Atlanta another experienced playoff piece next to an already defensive-minded core.
For now, Kuminga is still waiting on the broader free-agency picture to settle. He went through restricted free agency last year and didn’t re-sign with the Warriors until the start of October, and this time he’s stuck waiting on other dominoes to fall. LeBron James has put the league in a standstill as the Warriors and several other teams wait for his decision, leaving Kuminga and others in the background for what is expected to be the second wave of free agency in the coming days.
There is interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, and he may also be waiting on the Cleveland Cavaliers depending on whether they land James. But after Sunday’s trade, Kuminga’s exit from Atlanta no longer feels like a possibility. It looks inevitable.
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