The Atlanta Hawks caused a bit of controversy when they decided to decline Jonathan Kuminga's $24 million team-option for the 2026-27 season, but it was apparent at the time - and obvious now - that it wouldn't be the final time his name was heard in Hawks-related news.
While he's currently not on the roster for next year - sitting in the wide pool of unrestricted free agents - there's still a chance he's signed back to Atlanta on a long-term deal for less annual value.
That could be the case, or they could take the most logical approach, signing him to a long-term deal while sending him elsewhere. There are expected to be many interested suitors.
Hawks should get value out of Kuminga instead of just letting him go
Of course, he could always just walk now. It's up to him, unless Atlanta can strike a deal quickly. That's the risk they're taking by declining his option. It simply came down to the fact that they gave up practically nothing to acquire him in the first place.
If they had to part with anything other than the expiring contract of the injured Kristaps Porzingis, than they likely would've been more inclined to pick up his option. They've got to be smart with what they do here, regardless, as it could backfire if they're not careful.
Kuminga still has a ton of potential, and he was able to show it in spurts last season. He was crucial to Atlanta being able to steal two games from the eventual champion New York Knicks in the first round.
Teams around the league - such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers - saw how valuable he can be in the right role, and are organizations the Hawks should absolutely explore a potential sign-and-trade with.
Atlanta has a loaded forward room, even without JK in the rotation
Bringing him back, at this point, would result in a ton of redundancy. If there ends up being a limited amount of suitors, and they're able to get him back for a cheap, short-term deal, by all means.
But if they're forced to commit a significant amount of future cap space to a guy set to overlap a lot of their already-established core, maybe they should look elsewhere.
A sign-and-trade is the most logical path forward, by far. With how much Onsi Saleh clearly prioritizes strategic asset management, it should be seen as the most likely, too.
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