Many Golden State Warriors fans were and still remain criticial of February's trade centered around Jonathan Kuminga and Kristaps Porzingis, perhaps in large part because of the countless missed opportunities the front office had to deal the former seventh overall pick for greater value.
But if you look at the trade in a vacuum, it continues to look like a positive trade for the Warriors. Not only did the Atlanta Hawks quickly move on from Kuminga after only a few months, but the young forward was only able to generate a two-year, $13 million deal in free agency after eventually signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Jonathan Kuminga trade looks even better after Timberwolves move
The reality is that all three players involved in the trade -- Kuminga, Porzingis and Buddy Hield -- were on inflated contracts at the time of the deal. However, just over six months on and Porzingis is clearly the most valuable, having signed a two-year, $40 million deal (only $3 million guaranteed in second year) to remain with Golden State prior to free agency.
As much as Porzingis' injury and health history remain an ongoing concern, that's largely viewed as a reasonable contract. Not a great one necessarily, but also not a massive overpay based on what other big men got in free agency, including former Warrior center Quinten Post.
So essentially the Warriors flipped a $6.5 million player in Kuminga for a $20 million player in Porzingis based on these contracts they've signed. The Hawks, meanwhile, picked up Hield's $9.7 million team option presumably to use in a trade. Had Atlanta declined and let the veteran sharpshooter hit free agency, it would have been hard to see him commanding more than the minimum.
It was the right move for Golden State not just because of the external value on both players, but more importantly because Porzingis fills a significantly bigger need and will be the bonafide starting center on a team that couldn't consistently give Kuminga a big role.
Jonathan Kuminga has opportunity to drastically outplay his contract
While the market (or lack thereof) this summer dictated that Kuminga take a two-year, $13 million contract with the Timberwolves, he will get the opportunity to drastically outplay that with a starting role on a legitimate playoff team.
While far from guaranteed, it's not impossible to envisage Kuminga playing much closer to the $20 million value Porzingis signed for, especially if he can have two-way impact on a team that wins a playoff series.
As was always going to be the case with trading a 23-year-old, time can still easily change reflections of the deal. The Warriors appear to have won the trade for now, even if they've lost in the bigger picture after wasting another top 10 pick on the back of taking James Wiseman second overall a year earlier.
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