Jonathan Kuminga’s time with the Golden State Warriors is finally set to conclude.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Warriors are dealing Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks. He will get sent to Georgia alongside the sharpshooter Buddy Hield. In exchange, the Warriors are picking up Kristaps Porzingis.
Recently, there have been doubts about Kuminga’s status as a trade candidate for the Warriors before the deadline. Since the ACL injury that Jimmy Butler suffered, Kuminga was needed as depth for the time being. However, the Warriors clearly saw an ideal fit with Porzingis on the team.
Now, the Warriors cut ties with the disgruntled Kuminga, while adding a veteran big with championship experience.
Kuminga leaves the Warriors as their former seventh-overall pick. He was a key contributor as a reserve on their 2022 NBA Championship team as a rookie.
Over five seasons, Kuminga has averaged 12.5 points per game, while making 50 percent of his shots from the field. He also contributed to 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game over 278 games.
Kuminga’s future with the Warriors was in doubt over the summer as he was on the free agency market as a restricted player. Eventually, Kuminga inked a two-year deal with the Warriors. It was widely believed that the Warriors could still cut ties with Kuminga after January 15. Sure enough, they will.
As the 2025-2026 NBA season played out, Kuminga fell out of favor with Steve Kerr. For most of the season, he was picking up DNPs, which made it increasingly clear he had a low chance of sticking around.
As for Buddy Hield, he leaves Golden State amid his second season with the team. Over 126 games, Hield averaged 10.0 points per game, while shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.
In Golden State, Porzingis will reunite with his former front-court teammate, Al Horford. The two spent time together on the Boston Celtics. They were key players on the 2024 title team. Over the summer, the Celtics traded Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks as a financial decision.
This season, Porzingis has appeared in 17 games for the Hawks, averaging 24.3 minutes on the court. The veteran posted averages of 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
The deal with the Hawks wasn’t all for the Warriors on Wednesday night. Moments after acquiring Porzingis, Golden State reportedly sent Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick from the LA Lakers.
The Warriors might not have struck the blockbuster deal they were hunting for over the past couple of weeks, but they certainly made an interesting swap with the Hawks, as they look to compete in a tough Western Conference.
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