Jonathan Kuminga's time in Golden State was marked with a plethora of ups and downs.
Through it all, though, Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson stood by his side, and clearly left a positive impression on the youngster, who may very well reunite with his former mentor in the Bay Area this summer in a sign-and-trade deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Apparently, there's mutual interest between Cleveland and Kuminga: specifically, the Warriors' former assistant coach, Kenny Atkinson leading the charge.
Kenny Atkinson has long prioritized Kuminga's development
It's no secret that Atkinson and Kuminga saw eye-to-eye in Golden State - slightly unlike Kerr and Kuminga.
While there still exists a bit of fog surrounding the reasoning behind Kerr electing to not grant Kuminga extensive minutes, Atkinson was well-documented in his mentorship of JK in Golden State.
It's not surprising to hear that Kuminga would seek to reunite with one of his most fervent mentors in his young career - especially when the situation he'd be joining would be much less demanding than in Golden State.
Kuminga would be allowed to flank playmakers in James Harden (pending accepting a qualifying offer) and Donovan Mitchell, while also serving as an ancillary rebounder to big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
While Kuminga would no doubt play an important role in an Atlanta offensive ecosystem, it's nowhere near as cut-and-dry of a role as Cleveland could offer in the immediate starting five.
Atlanta's asking price from Cleveland in a Kuminga sign-and-trade
What should the Hawks seek to gain from a Kuminga sign-and-trade?
Ultimately, Onsi Saleh has demonstrated time and time again that he's not a GM privy to making errant decisions on the basis of seeing no alternative to a move. If there's not a worthwhile deal out there, the best course of action is to simply stand pat and hold onto JK for another year.
After LeBron ultimately elected to join the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland must now look to other potential forwards to fill the void that failing to sign James left - Kuminga is certainly at or near the top of such a list.
If Atlanta can find a way to orchestrate a first round pick swap in a sign-and-trade with the Cavs - perhaps, 2031 - this would likely be enough for Saleh to pull the trigger.
After all, there's plenty of young forwards on the Hawks waiting to fill Kuminga's minutes in the event he's moved - we're looking at you, Asa Newell.
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