The Jonathan Kuminga saga with the Golden State Warriors has lastly reached a conclusion. The Warriors are buying and selling Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, ESPN is reporting. Kuminga reportedly demanded a commerce from the franchise on Jan. 15, the primary day he was commerce eligible.
Kuminga, 23, has been probably the most mentioned gamers within the NBA since this previous summer season when he turned a restricted free agent. The No. 7 general choose within the 2021 NBA Draft signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal to return to Golden State after an almost two-month standoff with the franchise.
Kuminga had a chance as a substitute to signal a qualifying provide (price $7.9 million), which might’ve made him an unrestricted free agent this summer season. The Warriors reportedly provided Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million take care of a group possibility throughout his contract negotiations, in keeping with ESPN, which was a rise of their authentic provide of two years, $45 million.
Even after signing that deal, Kuminga has been out and in of the Warriors’ rotation this season. He has appeared in simply 20 video games (13 begins) and is averaging 12.1 factors, 5.9 rebounds and a couple of.5 assists whereas capturing 45.4% from the ground. Kuminga missed greater than a month of motion earlier than returning to the ground on Jan. 20. He performed 21 minutes and scored 20 factors that evening after which scored 10 factors in 9 minutes of motion on Jan. 22. He hasn’t performed in any of the group’s 5 video games since.
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There was optimism after the contract standoff that this might be the yr that Kuminga thrived in a clear-cut function with the franchise that drafted him. However that by no means materialized, and now he is heading to Atlanta for a contemporary begin alongside Hield, a profession 39.5% 3-point shooter who has been a mainstay of the Warriors’ rotation over the past two seasons.
With Porziņģis, the Warriors are buying a participant who’s within the remaining yr of his deal. Porziņģis, 30, is making $30.7 million this season and is about to be an unrestricted free agent this summer season. The Hawks large man missed his group’s final 13 video games as a result of Achilles tendinitis. He was set to return towards the Miami Warmth earlier this week, nevertheless it was postponed as a result of sickness.
Earlier this season, Porziņģis was sidelined as a result of a thriller sickness — a problem he additionally handled throughout his time with the Boston Celtics. In 17 video games this season, Porziņģis is averaging 17.1 factors, 5.1 rebounds and a couple of.7 assists.
Porziņģis was traded in July from the Celtics to Atlanta in a three-team take care of the Brooklyn Nets. Porziņģis helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA title over the Dallas Mavericks after being traded from the Washington Wizards within the 2023 offseason. Porziņģis, the No. 4 choose within the 2015 NBA Draft, began his profession with the New York Knicks earlier than he was traded to the Mavericks in 2019.
The Warriors weren’t executed with Wednesday evening trades after buying Porziņģis. Golden State dealt large man Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a 2026 second-round choose by way of the Lakers, ESPN reported. Jackson-Davis, a second-round choose in 2023, is averaging 4.2 factors and three.1 rebounds in 11.4 minutes throughout 36 video games.
