The Hawks traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Golden State Warriors this trade deadline, in exchange for the still-young, unproven talent in Jonathan Kuminga (and cap filler, Buddy Hield).
While Kuminga has missed a fair portion of his total possible games with Atlanta due to lingering injuries, Atlanta has a decision to make sooner rather than later on the effervescent talent. The clock is ticking for Kuminga to prove himself in a Hawks uniform. Through two games, he has looked quite impressive, but he played the lowly Washington Wizards in both matchups. He hasn't quite proven himself as a mainstay for this squad.
Kuminga's $24M team option can either be accepted or declined by Onsi Saleh this summer. All signs point to turning this lucrative deal down, as Kuminga's on-court play has been far from worth $24M with the Warriors over the last handful of seasons.
If Kuminga can't dramatically reverse his previous play, an unfortunately immediate question has to be answered: did the Hawks whiff on the deal with the Warriors, failing to grab the superior talent?
Was Moses Moody the wiser choice to exchange Porzingis for?
Moses Moody, always paired with Kuminga in discussions, due to their co-drafting in the 2021 NBA Draft, 7th and 14th overall, has had nearly as bumpy a career as Kuminga throughout their tenure in the Bay Area.
While the dynamic young duo was projected to take on the mantle left by the Warriors' late dynasty led by Steph, Draymond, Klay, and KD, Kuminga and Moody, unfortunately, joined high lottery pick James Wiseman in falling well below their expectations.
Wiseman's fall from grace was far more painful than either of the 2021 products, but nevertheless, both Kuminga and Moody were seen as legitimate talents, set up for a world of success under the tutelage of Curry and Coach Kerr.
While Kuminga's concerns have always hovered around his poor efficiency and questionable shot diet, Moody's have long been defensive-centered. Mocked as an elite 3&D prospect going into the draft, he had fallen short - until this year.
The label of "3&D" has been an unfortunately overused term in the last decade. In a recent analysis by NBA Tipoff, there exists a special few players in today's NBA that are truly elite in both metrics.
In the above analysis of "3&D" ability amongst wings, 3-point shooting talent was used to measure the former, and DARKO DPM (D-DPM) was used to measure defensive talent. While this is a far cry from all-encompassing, it's a welcome glimpse into the convoluted world of quantifying a true "3&D" player.
Only five players graced the ever-desirable top-right quadrant (above average D-DPM and above average 3-PT shooting talent) - known talents such as Jaden McDaniels, Tari Eason, Donte Divincenzo, Royce O'Neale (a bit old, but still up there!), and the surprise Moses Moody.
Moody has leveraged his defensive motor and length to a great deal of success this year, and has combined this with well-above-average long-range shooting, eclipsing 40% for the first time in his career, on a simply gargantuan 6.1 3PA (1.5 higher than last year, and 3.1 higher than two years ago!).
As Kuminga has tapered off, Moody has appeared to keep growing and thriving as a complementary piece. While it was never confirmed to be on the table, one can't help but wonder if Atlanta could have found a way to get Moody in a Hawks uniform.