Could Jonathan Kuminga play for the Boston Celtics next season?
NBA analyst Dan Favale of Bleacher Report ranked the Boston Celtics as the top landing spot for Atlanta Hawks free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
The Celtics could use a young swingman like Kuminga after trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, who is 36.
"Though Boston cannot count on Kuminga for lights-out spacing, it has the stretch elsewhere to open up the floor for his drives and isos," Favale wrote. "The Celtics would still be betting on his improvement as a rebounder and defender, but he showed progress last season in the former department."
The Hawks made Kuminga an unrestricted free agent by declining his team option for next season. Kuminga has been heavily linked to the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Atlanta acquired Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors last season. While there haven't been any rumors linking the Celtics to Kuminga, that could change in today's fast-paced NBA rumor cycle.
In 16 regular-season games with the Hawks last season, Kuminga averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He assisted Atlanta in making the 2026 playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks lost to the New York Knicks in the first round in six games. Kuminga averaged 13.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in the six-game series.
Kuminga enters next season with career averages of 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He won the 2022 championship with the Warriors against the Celtics.
The Hawks have been active this offseason. They re-signed CJ McCollum and Jock Landale and acquired Devin Carter from the Sacramento Kings and Aaron Wiggins from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the 2026 NBA Draft, Atlanta got Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar. Atlanta appears to have a bright future with Jalen Johnson, McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels leading the way in the post-Trae Young era.
Anthony Slater of ESPN recently reported that "Kuminga could return to the Hawks on a more team-friendly structure than the $24.3 million option they just declined, though such a reunion isn't being actively discussed."
It feels like Kuminga and the Hawks will part ways this summer via a sign-and-trade deal. We just have to wait and see where Kuminga will call home next.
Kuminga's restricted free agency with the Warriors went unresolved until very late in the offseason. Let's see how long his unrestricted free agency lasts this summer.
