Kuminga Libre! Warriors-Hawks Trade Grades

Jonathan Kuminga, Kristaps Porzingis, Buddy Hield, and more (well, no; that's about it)

Well, I was in bed and had just put my phone down when it buzzed with a surprising trade. What the hell, I figured, may as well write it up. My poor fingers will need ice baths tomorrow.

This is the season of the distressed-asset swap, and here, we have one exchanged for another.

Trae Young was salary-dumped for depth shooting, and at this point, Atlanta not having to give up anything of value should be seen as a minor win. Cleveland is so concerned about Darius Garland’s medical history and postseason struggles that they kicked him to the curb for an ancient James Harden (ironic, I know). Anthony Davis went for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley, and perhaps the worst two first-round picks I’ve ever seen.

Now, Jonathan Kuminga and Kristaps Porzingis are trading places.

Atlanta Hawks receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield
Golden State Warriors receive: Kristaps Porzingis

Kuminga is something of a special case. He’s younger, theoretically more durable than most of these names I’ve mentioned, and not likely to demand a maximum salary.

But Kuminga is also good at exactly one thing: Self-creation on two-pointers. That is arguably the most valuable skill in basketball! Kuminga’s grown far stronger in his NBA career, and he’s now capable of moving even stout defenders out of the way if he gets a head of steam. He’s worked hard on becoming a better screener, and his timing on slips, rolls, and duck-ins has improved over the years:

The problem is that he’s meh-to-bad at everything else.

Kuminga has never shot the three with volume or accuracy, limiting his off-ball effectiveness. He’s slicker as a cutter, but not enough to make up for the spacing issues brought about by that limited shot. His decision-making and feel for the game have improved, but are still below average. The defense has, if anything, regressed over the past few years.

Starting from a baseline competency of self-creation is helpful! But in today’s NBA, it’s also just one piece of a good player, not the be-all and end-all.

That said, for the price, why not? Porzingis’ health is a complete unknown. POTS doesn’t seem particularly easy to control, and the worst part is that he can go from 100% to out for days or weeks with no warning. He’s still been very impactful when he plays, but he can’t stay on the floor.

Both Porzingis and Kuminga are up for new money. Kuminga does have a team option for next year, as you may remember from Shams’ absurdly worded press release after Kuminga’s agent’s failed media tour to drum up support for his client in restricted free agency.

Atlanta had earmarked cap room for Young and Porzingis (whoops!), so they will have some space to re-sign Kuminga if he plays well for them. The Hawks’ season hasn’t gone according to plan (in no small part due to Porzingis), and they need more scoring around point forward Jalen Johnson.

I am not the biggest Kuminga fan, but neither am I completely out on him (yet). Kuminga is just 23 years old and was in a bad situation with the Golden State Warriors. He played for a coach who didn’t believe in him, with veterans who needed him in a complementary role he was ill-suited for, and behind two better players at the same position. It is absolutely possible that an emancipated Kuminga can harness his significant physical gifts in a more productive manner.

The Hawks can slot him into the starting spot ahead of Zaccharie Risacher (or maybe even in Dyson Daniels’ place, although the team may not be willing to bring last year’s steals leader off the bench just yet). I hope they make Kuminga prove himself before they pay him, but I guess we’ll find that out soon enough.

Atlanta is still trying to win games, and they get a chance to rehabilitate Kuminga for the low, low price of Kristaps Porzingis’ specter. Why not?

Buddy Hield made the salaries work, and he becomes Atlanta’s umpteenth bench shooter. They have loads of cap space for the foreseeable future, so his $10 million salary next year could be nice trade ballast.

Atlanta Hawks Grade: B-

For Golden State fans, this must be a bitter pill to swallow — but perhaps it’s for the best.