In a stunning development, the Atlanta Hawks have reportedly traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield per Shams Charania of ESPN.
Porzingis was acquired over the summer, and played just 17 games in a Hawks uniform before being moved. He averaged 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while knocking down 36% of his looks from beyond the arc this season.
Kuminga is the centerpiece of the return package and is an extremely talented — albeit enigmatic — wing, who had struggled to find a regular spot in Steve Kerr’s rotation since being drafted seventh overall back in 2021. For his career, he’s averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game with 50.3/33.1/66.9* shooting splits.
When Jimmy Butler went down in last year’s West Conference Semi-Finals, Kuminga provided a huge spark for Golden State, averaging 24.3 points on 55.4% shooting from the field (38.9% from downtown) over the final four games of the series. Kuminga will be another addition to Atlanta’s crop of wings and will be sure to provide some firepower off the bench this season. He has a team option for $24.3 million next season, and it will be fascinating to see how he develops under Quin Snyder over the rest of the 2025-26 season.
Also coming Atlanta’s way in the deal is Buddy Hield — a nine-year NBA veteran with a stellar 39.9% career three-point percentage (7.7 attempts per game). He won’t add much in terms of playmaking or defense but will be another shooter off the bench to provide some competition for Luke Kennard and Corey Kispert.
Hield is under contract through the 2026-27 season at just under $10 million per year, with a player option for $10.1 million in 2027-28. Of note, he is only guaranteed $3 million in 2026-27, with his full salary becoming guaranteed the day after the draft (per Spotrac).
With less than 24 hours to the trade deadline, we are all in wait-and-see mode to see if the Hawks are done making moves. Stay tuned.