Warriors Trade Jonathan Kuminga to Hawks, Ending Long-Running Saga

Kristaps Porzingis is heading back to the Bay Area in the three-player deal.

The Warriors have reportedly solved their Jonathan Kuminga problem. | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

After years of speculation, the saga of the Warriors and forward Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly over.

Golden State is trading Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield to the Hawks for center Kristaps Porziņģis, according to a Wednesday night report from Shams Charania of ESPN.

Kuminga’s eventual fate has been a prominent discussion topic in the Bay Area for years. The Warriors drafted him seventh in 2021 amid their much-hyped “two timelines” push, and he won a title in 2022. His usage ebbed and flowed, however, and Kuminga—still just 23—entered an awkward period of restricted free agency this offseason that ended with a two-year extension on Sept. 30.

Hield, 33, has almost exclusively come off the bench for Golden State in his 10th NBA season. Porziņģis has played in just 17 games for Atlanta this season due to illness and Achilles tendinitis (he last took the court on Jan. 7), but has averaged 17.1 points per game when healthy.

Golden State, which is still recovering from forward Jimmy Butler’s Jan. 19 ACL tear, is currently eighth in the Western Conference with a 27-24 record. The Warriors are on a bit of a standings island, trailing the Suns by four games for seventh place and leading the Clippers by three games for ninth.

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