Warriors Vindicated by Hawks' Jonathan Kuminga Contract Decision

Steve Kerr appears to have been right about Kuminga

Jonathan Kuminga | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In the weeks after trading Jonathan Kuminga to the Hawks, the Golden State Warriors faced some backlash.

After all, Kuminga was in the top six of the Hawks' rotation, which made some Dubs fans wonder if Steve Kerr was undervaluing him when he was a Warrior.

Monday's news suggests the Hawks don't value him that much either.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Hawks declined Kuminga's $24.3 million team option, making him a free agent.

There's no reporting that says the Hawks are declining the option to give him a long-term deal.

Instead, they appear to want to have more spending power, meaning they are essentially losing Kuminga for nothing.

Warriors, Kerr Vindicated

To be clear, the Warriors aren't vindicated for everything related to the Kuminga saga.

The Dubs should have traded Kuminga at least a year before he was benched in December 2025. Kerr could have been less public with his critiques of Kuminga.

I could go on.

But Kerr is vindicated from a talent-evaluation perspective.

Had Kuminga played so well in Atlanta that he signed a massive multiyear extension, it would be harder to believe that Kerr was right to give Kuminga a non-star role.

To his credit, Kuminga played well in the Hawks' two playoff wins over the Knicks. But overall, his playoff stats showed more of what we've come to expect.

He made just 20.8 of his three-point attempts, and he had just six assists in the six-game series.

He has value as a play-finishing wing who plays more 4 than 3 to hide some of his three-point shooting issues. He has developed on defense from his early career. I fully expect him to sign a contract for some part of the mid-level exception between $6 million and $15 million.

But he's not the star-level talent that some Warriors fans think he is.

Porzingis' Future Will Determine How to Grade the Kuminga Trade

Though it's clear that the Warriors didn't lose the Kuminga trade, it's too early to say they are winners.

The Dubs acquired Kristaps Porzingis for Kuminga and Buddy Hield, and Porzingis reportedly agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal on Monday. So at least the Warriors will have the player they acquired longer than the Hawks will.

But even with that said, the Dubs will need Porzingis to get past his injury and illness issues to provide real value.

I'll always believe that the Warriors should have used Kuminga as a money-matching contract for a much better player. For example, they could have traded Kuminga and some high-value draft capital for Jaren Jackson Jr.

But if Porzingis a) re-signs with the Warriors and b) has a strong season that includes him being available for an entire playoff run, the Dubs would then be winners of the Kuminga trade.