Is Jonathan Kuminga an ideal offseason target for the Hornets?

Jonathan Kuminga could be available. Should the Hornets pull the trigger?

Apr 9, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) dribbles upcourt against the San Antonio Spurs in the second period at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors' loss could be the Charlotte Hornets' gain.

The Warriors have not used Jonathan Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, whatsoever in the last two postseason games. They won the play-in game to get into the playoffs without him, and then they took a 1-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets without him. His days in Golden State could be totally numbered.

That could be good for the Hornets, who are probably still in the place in their rebuild where they should target young, talented players who've become cast-offs with their current or former teams. It worked with Tre Mann, and it could work with Kuminga.

Kuminga might be benched now, but he was solid for the Warriors during the season. He had a 108.9 defensive rating and 110.0 offensive rating. That might've been driven by playing with All-Stars like Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler, but it's still solid.

On Charlotte, Kuminga would've been the fifth-best defender, and that includes two players with fewer than seven games played. He would've probably been the best defender the Hornets had all season since Josh Okogie was hurt a ton and Isaiah Wong didn't have a lengthy tenure.

On offense, he would've been the second-best regular behind LaMelo Ball. He would've been a better offensive threat than Miles Bridges, Mark Williams, Brandon Miller, or anyone else. He could've dragged some defensive focus away from Ball in a way the others couldn't. Plus, as a hyper-athletic wing, he'd be an ideal lob threat for Ball as well.

Kuminga would also be an ideal fit in the lineup. At 6'7", he'd slide in nicely with the plethora of players the Hornets have at that height. He'd push Josh Green out of the five-man starting unit that got so few games together in 2024-25, giving the Hornets a good, young lineup of Ball, Miller, Bridges, Kuminga, and Williams.

Apr 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This would also help the team defense. Williams and Bridges are not good as the primary down-low defenders, but putting Bridges back on the perimeter and keeping Kuminga down low would improve the post defense. It would take some pressure off of Williams, who is not a good defender...yet

What would it cost? Kuminga is a former lottery pick and has a lot of upside, but he's clearly on the outs in Golden State. Maybe they lose Green or Curry to retirement this offseason (highly unlikely) and want to pivot back to him, but that's probably not going to happen. Kuminga is probably available.

He's a restricted free agent, which throws a wrench into the plans. The Hornets could buy low since his stock is tanking, but the Warriors can match anything. If the Hornets don't overspend a little to convince Golden State to back off, they might not get him. The logic is true of any team who's interested in a young wing, which is probably a lot of NBA squads. There could be a little bit of a bidding war, and the Hornets aren't in a position to win those.

Still, it's something the front office should have on its to-do list. If Kuminga is available and they can get him, they absolutely should.

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