The Atlanta Hawks shocked the world on Wednesday night by trading Kristaps Porzingis for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Atlanta counted on Kristaps Porzingis to fill their center position, but unfortunately the big man has just been unable to stay healthy. He’s played in just five games since December 1st, and the Hawks have suffered without him. With his expiring $30 million deal, Porzingis was obvious trade bait.
When the Hawks suddenly benched Porzingis on Tuesday night, suspicions raised across the fanbase – was a trade in the works? The Latvian center had been ruled healthy, but was ruled out just five hours later, 90 minutes before tipoff.
Indeed, a trade was in the works.
While no reporting indicated Atlanta was in trade talks with Golden State, this was my second most practical Porzingis trade option. Nobody wants Porzingis, and nobody wants Kuminga. Both players could use from a change in scenery, and neither team would drive the other too hard for additional draft compensation.
The Hawks land Kuminga, a former top-10 pick, and Hield, one of the best shooters in the league. Like Porzingis, this is an attractive trade package in theory. In practice (and also like Porzingis), both players have serious flaws in their game.
The Hawks swung for the fences in a low-risk move
Kuminga has been the center of controversy for over a year now. He has had an ugly contract dispute with the Golden State Warriors' front office, with GM Mike Dunleavy going so far as to publicly state that nobody wanted the G League Ignite product.
Coach Steve Kerr has his own issues with Kuminga, whose minutes rise and fall like a yo-yo. This will be the ultimate test for Kuminga – on a team with limited forward depth, can he establish himself as a real NBA player? If he can, expect Atlanta to re-sign him this summer. If not, Kuminga will be an unrestricted free agent with few suitors.
Hield is a lower-risk, lower-reward proposition. He shoots the lights out, but he can’t do anything else. After trading Vit Krejci, the Hawks had room for a player like this on the roster. He makes $9.7 million next season, and $10.1 million the following before becoming a free agent.
Hield’s contract doesn’t quite fit Onsi Saleh’s motto of optionality, but he should be a player whose trade value Atlanta can rehab. He’s a shooter, and Jalen Johnson has proven to be a solid playmaker for sharpshooters to feed off.