The Atlanta Hawks have a $24.3 million question to answer and a far more expensive follow-up they'll have to address depending on their initial decision. That, of course, is a matter of whether or not the Hawks intend to accept Jonathan Kuminga's club option or allow him to enter unrestricted free agency.
Though much could change between now and the 2026 NBA Draft, the Hawks' reported interest in drafting a point guard or a center seems to imply that Kuminga will be back in some way next season.
Kuminga's $24.3 million club option makes him one of the proverbial swing players for the Hawks' upcoming offseason. If Atlanta accepts the club option, it'd buy another season to evaluate a player they only acquired in February. If it declines it, then it must compete against the market.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype is reporting, however, that the Hawks are looking at guards and a center with the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft—a rumor that seemingly implies they're confident in their forwards.
"Since then, rival executives who’ve spoken with HoopsHype project the Hawks to select either a point guard, with one of Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., Darius Acuff, and Kingston Flemings expected to be available, or Michigan 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara."
It's possible that the Hawks could still utilize the No. 23 pick or the open market to target a small forward, but if they aren't investing a top 10 pick at the position, they seem to be endorsing their current options.
Hawks reportedly aren't looking at forwards with top 10 pick
Kuminga arrived in February and, after a bout with injuries, stepped up during the 2026 NBA Playoffs. He played surprisingly attentive defense and thrived as an active presence inside on offense, scoring 19 and 21 points during Atlanta's lone playoff wins.
Head coach Quin Snyder rewarded Kuminga's quality by playing him the full 12 minutes of multiple fourth quarters during the Hawks' first-round series against the New York Knicks.
That seemingly guaranteed that Kuminga would return for at least the 2026-27 season, but a limited sample size is still all the Hawks have to go on. He played 32 games for Atlanta between the regular season and playoffs, and questions about his fit thus persist.
That makes the club option both a blessing and a curse for the Hawks, as it can both protect and cost them in one fell swoop.
If Atlanta accepts the club option, it'd be protecting itself from losing Kuminga to another team this summer. However, it'd run the risk of him leaving in 2027. If it declines the club option, he could walk in July. Even if he re-signs, however, the possibility still exists that they could overpay him across multiple seasons.
Thankfully for Kuminga, this is the only dilemma he seems to need to worry about with forward seemingly not on the radar for the Hawks during the lottery stage of the 2026 NBA Draft.
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