The Golden State Warriors proved unwilling to provide Jonathan Kuminga and his camp a long-term contract as part of restricted free agency negotiations last offseason, but the Atlanta Hawks could well be about to head down that path less than 12 months later.
Kuminga has made a promising start to life at the Hawks after he was traded by the Warriors last month, and so much so that he and the franchise could rip apart the second-year team option on his current two-year, near $50 million deal.
Hawks could tie themselves to Jonathan Kuminga over the long-term
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line on Thursday, Kuminga and the Hawks share interest in opting out of the team option and renegotiating a longer-term deal that ties him to the franchise.
"There is mutual interest, league sources say, for the Hawks to potentially decline their 2026-27 team option on Kuminga valued at $24.3 million in order for the sides to hash out a longer-term agreement," Fischer wrote.
Such a move could be risky and presents both upside and downside for the Hawks, with Golden State ultimately unwilling to make such a move as they wanted to preserve cap space in 2027, not to mention making sure the former seventh overall pick was on a tradable contract.
Kuminga has averaged 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists with the Hawks so far, shooting a highly efficient 56.6% from the floor and 58.3% from 3-point range as the franchise enjoys an 11-game winning-streak.
But is six games really enough data to evaulate whether Kuminga is a long-term fit, particularly given his up-and-down nature through his first five years and the knee injury that continues to require management for the time being?
Hawks signing Jonathan Kuminga long-term could be a trap
Of course, Atlanta should end up with more than six games of sample size. There's still 13 games left in their season, and the fact they've surged up to the sixth-seed suggests they'll get at least one playoff series.
Even that might not be enough to fully assess whether it's worth giving Kuminga perhaps something in the realm of a four-year, $100 million contract. That could prove an incredibly team-friendly deal if Kuminga develops into the star he's long wanted to be, but it could also be a huge trap if his inconsistent nature continues.
In today's CBA, you don't want to get stuck with long-term money you can't get out of without attaching assets. That's the approach the Warriors took in their negotiations with Kuminga, but only time will tell if the Hawks are willing to take a different stance.