One "Star Trade" The Hawks Could Make While Resolving The Jonathan Kuminga Situation

While the Hawks don't want to sacrifice major assets, there is one possible deal that would allow them to swap Jonathan Kuminga - and other rotation pieces - out for a star.

Mar 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) drives on Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The idea of going "all-in" on a star player at this stage in the Hawks' roster build doesn't seem to align with the front office's vision. To be clear, I do not think it's a smart idea for president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh to aggressively pursue a "star" in exchange for multiple first-round picks.

However, there is some flexibility to be opportunistic. The lack of a resolution on Jonathan Kuminga's free agency and the health of Atlanta's cap situation provide the opportunity to send Kuminga to a good situation for him - while exacting appropriate compensation - and possibly get significant help for Jalen Johnson this season. The Hawks have added a ton of decent depth, but practically none of them are coming to Atlanta following strong seasons elsewhere.

While the depth will help, it cannot be ignored that the Knicks completely flattened the Hawks after Game 3. There wasn't any sort of consistent help for Jalen Johnson and Johnson himself struggled mightily against New York's defense. The Hawks don't have to go all-in on solutions, but I'd argue there is some urgency to show progress. This is now the fifth consecutive season that Atlanta hasn't made it past the first round of the playoffs.

It's often repeated, but the Eastern Conference got a lot stronger this summer on paper. The influx of Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James back into the conference should improve things for the Raptors and 76ers respectively. The Celtics, Cavaliers and Pistons all won 50+ games last season. That's even before mentioning the Miami Heat, who added Giannis Antetokounmpo to an already-solid core, and the defending champions, the New York Knicks. On paper, those teams are all a cut above the Hawks and the wildcard of the conference, the Indiana Pacers, could also exceed them.

If the Hawks keep the status quo and rely on the combo of their depth moves and draft picks, there's a strong chance they end up in the play-in again. What if they made an opportunistic trade to try and prevent that?

I advocated for the Hawks attempting to get Jimmy Butler from the Golden State Warriors earlier this offseason. Over two months later, I still feel it's the most intriguing move the Hawks could make without crippling their future. Here's how they could do it - while solving the Jonathan Kuminga situation in the process.

The Trade

Jan 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) looks for an open teammate as he is double-teamed by Golden State Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton (8) and forward Jimmy Butler III (10) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hawks receive: Jimmy Butler, 2030 2nd-round pick (via GSW), 2033 2nd-round pick (via GSW), 2033 2nd-round pick (via MIL)

Bucks receive: Corey Kispert, Buddy Hield, Mo Gueye, Jonathan Kuminga (3 years, $60 million on new contract), 2027 1st-round pick (via GSW), 2028 1st-round pick swap (via GSW), 2029 1st-round pick (via GSW)

Warriors receive: Asa Newell, Myles Turner, Ryan Rollins, Jericho Sims, 2027 1st-round pick (via NOP/MIL, from ATL)

Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Hawks

Mar 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) blocks the shot of Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jimmy Butler may not seem like the best player for the Hawks to add. He doesn't shoot a lot of threes and is coming off an ACL tear at 36 years old. It's possible that he'd only suit up for the Hawks in March and may never make a significant impact if they acquired him.

However, I still believe he's worth taking that gamble on.

Butler didn't show many signs of decline before tearing his ACL. He was averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists on a sterling 64.6 TS%. For reference, it was the second most efficient shooting season of his career. The Warriors were 13.5 points better by net rating in the 1135 minutes he played last season and their lineups were great when he played with Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski or Draymond Green. He showed he could handle being the second option on most nights while scaling up to the primary focus of the offense when necessary. The Warriors had a 122 offensive rating when Jimmy played without Steph or Draymond, essentially meaning that he was running the offense.

In Atlanta, he'd be an almost perfect player for the third starter role. He's a very capable passer, having posted an AST% above 20% and TOV% around or below 10% for the past five seasons. Jimmy's ability to run in transition may be diminished due to his age/injury history, but he graded out in the 90th percentile as a transition scorer last season. The difference Butler makes is in the halfcourt. Even at this age, he is still one of the smartest and most effective cutters to ever play. 29% of his shots last season came as a play finisher and he graded out in the 93rd percentile as a cutter last season on high volume. Jalen Johnson is a great cutter in his own right, but the combination of Butler and Johnson to watch back-door and at the rim would be very hard for defenses to handle.

He's also shown an ability to shoot more threes in Golden State. Before his injury, he was shooting 37.6% on threes while taking 2.2 attempts a game. It isn't at a very high clip, but he will make the open threes that the defense concedes. That shouldn't be a problem in Atlanta - matching his minutes with CJ McCollum should provide the spacing he needs to operate.

In the postseason, having a player of his caliber and experience would be a game changer. He's played in a whopping 130 playoff games, made the NBA Finals twice and processes playoff defenses at a level that practically no one on Atlanta's roster can claim to possess. Adding veterans does matter when the postseason rolls around and the Hawks saw the difference a veteran of CJ McCollum's caliber made. Butler's impact should exceed that.

The biggest question is how he'd fit alongside someone like Dyson Daniels. Even though Daniels is a hesitant shooter in his own right, I believe the combination of Butler, NAW and Daniels defensively would be very difficult to handle and reduce the number of points the Hawks need to score every night to survive. Furthermore, Daniels is just 23 years old and had arguably the worst shooting season of his career since becoming a notable NBA player. It almost has to get better and there's reason to believe the attention Butler demands will free up some easier shots for Daniels.

Resolving The Kuminga Saga

For both the Bucks and the Warriors, this deal helps them get exactly what they want.

The Bucks would get control over three first-round selections and unprotected picks in years where they've already given a pick away. They also get to take a flyer on Kuminga's potential and give him all the touches he needs to develop into a contributor. Kuminga's focus has clearly been on a role where he'll be starting and playing a lot of minutes. Milwaukee can satisfy that if he earns it and they have ample amounts of cap space to absorb a new contract. The bad contracts they'd recieve in Hield and Kispert will be off their books by the time they're competitive again and they can fill roles in the meantime. Mo Gueye would be another intriguing development piece for their frontcourt if they want to keep him.

The Warriors would straddle both the last few years of Steph Curry and their future in one transaction. A starting lineup of Curry - Rollins/Podziemski - Green - Yaxel - Porzingis/Horford/Turner may not scream "contender", but it's quietly a very solid team that has room for upside if Rollins can develop further. They'd have a real identity by cycling between three centers who can space the floor and defend in spurts. Furthermore, there'd be less pressure on Draymond Green to carry the Warriors' defense on his back if they add two significant pieces to the frontcourt in Turner and Asa Newell. Newell is just 20 years old and has already shown flashes of being a solid rebounder/shoote at the next level. While giving up three first-round picks seems like a rough proposition, they'd still have Curry for presumably the next two years if they are competitive. At 40 years old, it's unclear whether he'd still want to play, but they should still be able to match up with anyone in the West outside of perhaps the OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs over the remaining years of his All-Star abilities.

Would the Hawks, Warriors and Bucks do this trade? I do think the complexity of the deal makes it unlikely, but it is a great opportunity for the Hawks to improve their ceiling without sacrificing their future. They'd have to convince the other teams involved, but it'd be a very exciting attempt to keep pace in a crowded East.