The Golden State Warriors ultimately took far too long and lost their opportunity to utilize Jonathan Kuminga in a blockbuster trade, but that's a lesson the Atlanta Hawks could quickly learn from as soon as this month.
The Hawks reportedly have interest in Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown as part of a potential three-team blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, and Kuminga could figure to be part of the deal just months after being acquired from the Warriors in February.
Jonathan Kuminga could be involved in Jaylen Brown trade
Brown would likely be re-routed to a third team in an Antetokounmpo trade, with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting on Friday that the Hawks have been mentioned as a suitor for the 5x All-Star.
"Portland, Houston and Atlanta are teams routinely mentioned as suitors with Brown interest, but the sheer salary numbers do add a layer of complexity to any talks," Stein wrote.
But as Stein also points out, matching salary for Brown's $57.1 million deal for next season presents a significant obstacle, leaving Kuminga as a likely part of the trade were Atlanta to guarantee his $24.3 million team option.
Assuming star forward Jalen Johnson would be completely off the table, the Hawks would have to part ways with at least one of Kuminga or Dyson Daniels who's about to start a four-year, $100 million contract. Given the overlapping skillset of Kuminga and Brown, it would make sense that the former seventh overall pick would be the one out the door.
That could result in Kuminga heading to Milwaukee, potentially setting up a perfect opportunity for the young forward to take a significant role at a franchise heading into rebuild mode following an Antetokounmpo trade.
Hawks would be able to complete what the Warriors never could
The Warriors wanted to develop Kuminga into a star themselves, waiting too long to utilize his value in a trade for a more experienced, proven star. His value ultimately fell to a point where the only move they could make was flipping him for an injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis who may now leave the franchise in free agency this summer.
It's ironic that after years of trade opportunities, it's now the Hawks, not the Warriors, who could move Kuminga in a deal for a star. It's also ironic that he could end up with the Bucks, having presumably been part of Golden State's offer for Antetokounmpo before the mid-season deadline.
Kuminga had an up-and-down period following February's trade that was also plagued by injury, but his Hawks career may come to a premature end if they can sneak in on the Antetokounmpo deal and land Brown from the Celtics.
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