Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported on Thursday that the Atlanta Hawks and Jonathan Kuminga are thinking about a long-term partnership (subscription required):
"There is mutual interest, league sources say, for the Hawks to potentially decline their 2026-27 option on Kuminga valued at $24.3 million in order for the sides to hash out a longer-term agreement."
If that is how things pan out, the summer should be more enjoyable for the 23-year-old forward than last year's was. Kuminga re-signed with the Warriors on a two-year, $48.5 million deal, but not because the team wanted to keep him around. That contract was a trade chip.
He didn't help Golden State get its dream target, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who stayed in Milwaukee, but it did land the team Kristaps Porziņġis — a player the Warriors had eyed for a while.
Kuminga wasn't part of Golden State's long-term plan (and that was evident long before the deadline), but Atlanta likes what it sees so far. He's averaging 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in six contests, shooting 56.6% from the field and 58.3% from three. The sample size is small, but his time with the Hawks is already trending in the right direction.
Hawks interested in signing Kuminga to long-term deal
Kuminga has missed a few games because of the lingering knee injury he suffered when he was still with the Warriors at the end of January, but it's not a major concern. The Hawks shouldn't want to push him too far, not with the playoffs around the corner. He does have quite a bit of experience in that category.
Having him in the best possible shape for the postseason (maybe even as a top-six seed?) will benefit him and Atlanta, as it will give him a chance to increase his value and help cement his place within the organization before the team decides on his team option this summer.
This is a partnership that Kuminga didn't expect, as he told Fischer that he was "very surprised" when he learned he was going to Atlanta. It's a cliché, but sometimes, the best things in life are unexpected. You can say that about the forward and the Hawks.
Anything would've been better than staying with the Warriors, but still. Going from being stuck in a spot no young player wants to be in to playing a role in the new-look Hawks' resurgence is quite the midseason turnaround. Oh, and Kuminga has yet to lose a game in an Atlanta uniform. How about that?
Kuminga told Fischer that "the goal" is for him to help turn the Hawks into a lasting contender. So far, so good. It has to be nice for him to know what he's somewhere he's wanted, and if he does sign a long-term deal this summer, that will be a career-defining moment for him.