Following the Feb. 4 trade that saw the Warriors ship Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, the fifth-year forward had yet to make his debut with his new squad due to a bone bruise.
That could be changing soon after the Hawks upgraded Kuminga’s status to questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards. The former Warrior is expected to make his Atlanta debut against Washington, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Although Kuminga once was viewed as having star potential for the Warriors, who drafted him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he never seemed to carve out a role that both he and the team could agree upon. The past year or so has been littered with reports regarding Kuminga’s displeasure with his standing on the team, and Golden State not necessarily having a vision for him.
It’s unclear what the Hawks’ plan for Kuminga is, but with Atlanta moving on from Trae Young, the team clearly is in a rebuilding stage – a sentiment that could allow for Kuminga to pursue the star role that wasn’t available with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler all ranking above him on the totem pole of star power.
“For us, [the trade] made sense given our timeline and what we’re trying to do,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh told reporters Feb. 7. “I think a 23-year-old with a ton of potential — I think the things that he helps us with are his rim pressure that he puts on. He’s a phenomenal athlete. He’s a good rebounder. I think in transition, he could be absolutely phenomenal, and he adds size at the wing position if we ever need to add another defender to guard one of these bigger wings in the league.
“So, I’m really excited about Jonathan.”
For his career, Kuminga averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in 278 appearances with Golden State. He last played Jan. 22 and scored 10 points in nine minutes during the Warriors’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Kuminga’s expected Hawks debut tips at 4:30 p.m. PT.
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