Grading Warriors' Kuminga-for-Porzingis Trade After Hawks' Playoff Exit

The Atlanta Hawks were eliminated by the New York Knicks on Thursday, which concludes Jonathan Kuminga's turbulent season.

The fifth-year forward started the campaign in a contract standoff with the Golden State Warriors before signing a two-year, $48 million deal with a team option for the second season.

Kuminga played well in October and early November, but he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss seven games. He struggled when he returned, and when he got benched for the Dec. 7 game against the Bulls, it was essentially the end of his Warriors tenure.

Eventually he demanded a trade, and Golden State finally granted his wish by trading him and Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porzingis right before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

The Hawks have a $24.3 million option to bring Kuminga back. Considering he was a heavy rotation fixture in the playoffs, it would be shocking if he isn't a Hawk next season.

Meanwhile, Porzingis is not under contract for next season.

If Porzingis signs elsewhere in free agency, then the Warriors' grade for this trade would be lower. The following analysis assumes he will likely be back.

Recapping Recent Performances of Kuminga and Porzingis

My immediate grade for this trade from the Warriors' perspective was a C-. On March 30, I bumped the grade up to a C+ because at that moment, Porzingis was playing great and Kuminga was struggling.

A lot has happened in the last month.

Porzingis had his best game as a Warrior in the play-in tournament vs. the Clippers, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal in 28 minutes.

But Porzingis came out of that game with ankle soreness, and it bothered him against the Suns. He had 11 points, one rebound and three turnovers in 15 minutes before sitting for the last 17:52 of the game.

Meanwhile, Kuminga played 156 minutes in six games against the Knicks, averaging 13.7 points on 48.3 percent shooting and 20.8 percent from three.

His defense on Karl-Anthony Towns in Games 2 and 3 was key to the Hawks' two wins. But his impact was minimal in the next three games.

Overall, Kuminga's season with the Hawks went about as I expected. He has value as a transition threat and as a bully-ball driver against smaller defenders, but his perimeter shooting will continue to allow defenses to play off him and limit his offensive effectiveness.

If he were a solid passer or ball-handler, he could get away with having three-point shooting issues, but he's not solid at either.

Warriors' Updated Grade for the Trade

I don't blame the Warriors for trading Kuminga. That relationship had run its course. But I continue to question if the Porzingis trade was the right move.

Porzingis getting hurt in the play-in tournament is another data point that says the 7'2" Latvian can't be reiled on to be available when it matters.

Was Porzingis the most talented player the Warriors could get by trading Kuminga with no draft picks attached? Probably.

Could the Warriors have attached first-round picks to Kuminga's contract and gotten a difference-maker? I think so.

Now the Warriors enter the offseason with an even tougher task to get said difference-maker.

Golden State doesn't have a player under contract making between $12.6 million and $56.7 million for the 2026-27 season. If Draymond Green opts in to his player option, they'll have a $27.7 million salary to trade. But Green has less trade value than Kuminga, so it will cost more draft capital to use Green for an upgrade than it would have with Kuminga.

The Warriors could sign-and-trade Porzingis to help match salaries in a trade, but that would an almost impossibly complicated trade structure just for the receiving team to get a player who has missed more than half of his team's games over the last two seasons.

This is why the Warriors needed to take a big trade swing when they had Kuminga. He might not have had much trade value, but just about every team would have some interest in a 23-year-old on a solid contract structure.

The most likely scenario for this offseason is the Warriors fall short in their bids for Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, and they are left with virtually no way to substantially improve the roster.

If Porzingis plays 60-plus games with the Warriors next season, this grade will be harsh. But all signs point to more extended absences for a team that really needs him on the court.

Grade: C

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