The Atlanta Hawks acquired Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors before the trade deadline last season. They sent out Kristaps Porziņģis to take a chance on the forward and see if he could prove himself to be a building block of Atlanta's future.
However, the Hawks knew they would need to make a $24.3 million decision on his team option this summer. Ultimately, they declined this money, making Kuminga a free agent this summer.
Kuminga played an important role off the bench in Atlanta last season. He gave the Hawks another athletic on-ball slasher who could finish above the rim through contact alongside Jalen Johnson. If Kuminga signs with another squad this summer, Atlanta will miss his consistent rim pressure in transition and half-court situations.
Jonathan Kuminga took slashing pressure off of Jalen Johnson
Atlanta heavily relies on paint touches and getting to the rim to open up its offense. The Hawks ranked 12th in the league at 51.7 points in the paint per game last season. Johnson was obviously a huge part of this attack, but before Kuminga got to Atlanta, he was essentially the only player on the roster who could finish above the rim through contact.
Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker frequently drive inside with the ball in their hands. However, they do not have Johnson's height, strength, or athleticism to finish above the rim consistently. Daniels often stops to shoot a push shot or floater in the lane, while Alexander-Walker relies on his craftiness to finish around shot blockers with either hand.
While both Hawks guards are effective in their respective ways, defenses must put more effort into stopping slashers who can power through bigger defenders. Opposing teams will often put multiple players in Johnson's path to keep him from getting a head of steam and wreaking havoc on the rim. Kuminga's power, burst, and speed off the dribble force them to do the same against him.
The 23-year-old averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across 16 regular-season games with the Hawks. He shot 34.6% from beyond the arc on 3.3 attempts per contest, marking a career-high in volume and his second-best efficiency mark.
If Kuminga re-signs in Atlanta and continues to improve his three-point shot, it will only make his downhill game even deadlier.
Hawks must look to get value for Kuminga or re-sign him on a smaller deal
Teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly interested in Kuminga.
If he goes to Cleveland or Los Angeles, it must happen via a sign-and-trade, as both of these teams lack cap space to sign him outright. Minnesota could bring in Kuminga on a free agent deal with the mid-level exception, but if the price is right, Atlanta should prevent this from happening.
The Hawks could offer Kuminga a one-year prove-it deal to give him a chance to cement himself as a core piece of this team alongside Daniels, Alexander-Walker, Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu.
If he re-signs, Atlanta will need to make some difficult decisions to cut down its roster to 15 players. It already sits at 17 rostered players as of August 3, 2026.
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