Jonathan Kuminga has made a promising start to life at the Atlanta Hawks, but if it were up to him the young forward would have departed the Golden State Warriors last offseason in a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings.
Kuminga had a strong offer from the Kings on the table, but what they were willing to give the Warriors in exchange didn't measure up, and the near completion of this season has only reiterated that fact.
Warriors vindicated for rejecting terrible offers from Kings for Jonathan Kuminga
Sacramento's offer reportedly started with former Warrior Dario Saric, former lottery pick Devin Carter, and a pair of second-round picks. That was always a laughable deal, and now looks even more so with the benefit of hindsight.
After the Kings acquired Saric for Jonas Valancuinas in order to accommodate the signing of Dennis Schroder, the Croatian big man appeared in only five games for the franchise, averaging 1.0 point, 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists in just over eight minutes.
Sacramento moved on from Saric and sent him to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team trade, and after he was dealt again to the Detroit Pistons before last month's deadline, he was subsequently waived and now remains without an NBA contract.
As for Carter, he remains with the Kings but has averaged just over 14 minutes in only 27 appearances this season. The former 13th overall pick is averaging 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists, shooting less than 40% from the floor and a paltry 19.4% from 3-point range.
The Kings also offered up Maik Monk and a protected first-round pick, something the Warriors too swiftly rejected. While closer to the mark than their original offer, it was still well away from what Golden State were going to be willing to take.
Monk has remained a dynamic bench scorer at times this season, averaging 12.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 43.5% shooting from the floor and an efficient 39.5% from 3-point range.
The 28-year-old still has two years and nearly $42 million on his contract though, while the Kings disastrous season suggests the pick, regardless of how far out it is, would likely never convey as a first-rounder.
Warriors got a better deal with Kristaps Porzingis
Sure, there's ongoing health and availability questions with Kristaps Porzingis, but at the very least he's objectively a good player when he's actually on the floor. Even taking the risk on the Latvian center in last month's trade is better than anything the Kings proposed, giving Golden State a productive starting center when available.
Also, unlike Monk, Porzingis is on an expiring contract and gives the Warriors an opportunity to re-assess in the offseason, including the potential of bringing back the former All-Star big on a more team-friendly deal in free agency.