Hawks Don’t Really Want ‘More Players’ in Jonathan Kuminga Trade

There have been all sorts of sign-and-trade ideas thrown around in order to get free agent Jonathan Kuminga to his next stop, with many of those hypothetical trades sending draft capital the Atlanta Hawks' way.

Those structures may have some appeal to the Hawks. According to Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, the team "does not really want more players." But per Deveney, that is a "tricky bump" for any team looking to land Kuminga.

The Hawks are currently over the roster limit and will need to trim down by the start of the regular season, so it makes sense that they aren't exactly looking to add to that problem. But it does sound like that is serving as an additional obstacle in sign-and-trade pursuits around Kuminga.

The goal for Atlanta should be to leave this offseason's Kuminga saga with something to show for it. Acquiring draft capital would be a solid outcome since the former lottery pick is an unrestricted free agent anyway. The Hawks can't expect to net a massive return, but anything is better than nothing.

Atlanta acquired Kuminga last season in a trade with the Golden State Warriors. The Hawks then declined his option at the start of the offseason, sending him to free agency. It does not appear that the forward returning to Atlanta on a new deal is likely.

Kuminga did play a key role off the bench for the Hawks after coming over via trade. In 16 games in the regular season, he averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, which he followed up by averaging 13.7 points per game in the team's lone playoff series.

The 23-year-old was certainly serviceable, but he evidently didn't do enough for the team to feel like picking up his option was in its best interest. Overall, Kuminga hasn't quite lived up to the potential that made him the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

But he is still young and has time to get to another level, and a change of scenery may be exactly what he needs in order to flip a switch. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers have been frequently linked to him, two teams that could offer him solid roles. 

The Hawks have to remain attentive to the Kuminga situation so that they can be prepared to be involved in the resolution, whenever that happens.