Jonathan Kuminga remains on the open market after closing out the 2025-26 season with the Atlanta Hawks.
After finishing the 2025-26 season with the Atlanta Hawks, free agent Jonathan Kuminga remains available with August creeping in.
Kuminga has a market, but there have been snags along the way. The Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers have all been frequently linked to the forward.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Cavs are seen as a "really good fit" for Kuminga. The NBA insider, however, expressed concern about the pathways Cleveland has to land him.
"The Cavs are still in the game for Jonathan Kuminga," Windhorst said. "Look, I've talked to his agent, okay. He does see a really good fit in Cleveland. I just, I listen to the pathways the Cavs have to get him, and I don't think they're realistic."
According to The Stein Line, the Cavs are still interested in Kuminga even after coming to an agreement with former lottery pick Mario Hezonja (which is a deal that still needs to be finalized).
But The Stein Line also noted that Cleveland, which would need to acquire Kuminga via sign-and-trade, has found it hard to put together a trade that the Hawks would find "suitable."
The other challenge for all teams involved is that Kuminga appears to be in search of a solid payday this summer. According to The Athletic, he is seeking something in the range of $20 million or more annually. It's unclear if he is going to get that.
"Kuminga is seeking a salary much closer to what he would have earned had the Hawks picked up his option, in the neighborhood of $20 million to $23 million," wrote The Athletic's Joe Vardon.
All of this is relevant to the Hawks for a couple of reasons. One, they have to be ready to participate in a sign-and-trade if Kuminga comes to terms with a new team. And two, Atlanta hasn't been ruled out of the Kuminga sweepstakes, with a recent report noting that the ex-Golden State Warrior remains a candidate to return to the Hawks on a potential one-plus-one deal.
If Kuminga isn't in love with his options this summer, returning to Atlanta on a short-term deal could make some sense for him. A scenario like that might allow him to hit free agency again next summer with a potentially different market, which would give him a chance to increase his value during the 2026-27 season.
It hasn't been a walk in the park for Kuminga at the NBA level since he was drafted at No. 7 overall in 2021, but it certainly hasn't been a disaster. He won a title in his rookie season with the Warriors and has had some decent years from a production standpoint, even though he hasn't totally lived up to expectations.
He has had to battle an inconsistent role at times, something he's surely hoping to avoid at his next stop.
Kuminga, who has averaged as many as 16.1 points per game at the NBA level, just wrapped up a 2025-26 campaign in which he averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.
