Jonathan Kuminga became the epitome of the Golden State Warriors struggling to find a balance between the present and future, with the franchise unable to consistently grant the young forward an opportunity to become the player he envisions himself to be.
That shouldn't be a problem on a far younger team after Kuminga, following nearly five years with the Warriors, was traded to the Atlanta Hawks last Wednesday in a deal that brought back veteran center Kristaps Porzingis.
Hawks will grant Jonathan Kuminga opportunity to become a star
After former second overall pick James Wiseman was traded three years ago in a deal that brought back Gary Payton II, Kuminga became the face of Golden State's two-timeline strategy -- or what was left of it, and another example of its failure.
There's no such two-timeline approach going on in Atlanta, offering Kuminga the opportunity to thrive without the pressure of having to fit in alongside veteran stars and on a team desperate to continue winning.
In contrast to the Warriors who've been built around a 37-year-old Stephen Curry, 36-year-old Jimmy Butler and 35-year-old Draymond Green, the Hawks currently have just two players over the age of 30 on their entire roster.
Both of those players, CJ McCollum and former Warrior guard Buddy Hield, could find themselves on the move again after this season, having only been acquired in the last six weeks in deals that sent out Trae Young and Porzingis.
After starting 13-8 through the first quarter of the season and looking like a sneaky threat in a wide open Eastern Conference, the Hawks have fallen to 26-30 at the All-Star break and are only just hanging to a spot in the Play-In Tournament as the 10th-seed.
The age and state of the Hawks roster gives Kuminga the perfect opportunity to thrive over the remainder of the season, assuming he can return from the current knee injury that's seen him miss the last eight games and has delayed a debut with his new team.
Sure, Kuminga will have to take a backseat in comparison to new franchise star Jalen Johnson, but there's also not too many go-to options for Atlanta who've ranked just 23rd in offense over the past 15 games.
Kuminga could join Nickeil Alexander-Walker as the secondary options beyond Johnson, with reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels having taken a step back offensively, and the 34-year-old McCollum surely less of a priority compared to the upside of the former Golden State forward.
This is what Kuminga has wanted since being drafted seventh overall in 2021, and now he gets his chance to prove the Warriors wrong and make their lack of development even more regretful.