Warriors trade Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield to Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porziņģis, per report

The Jonathan Kuminga saga with the Golden State Warriors has finally reached a conclusion. The Warriors are trading Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, ESPN is reporting. Kuminga reportedly demanded a trade from the franchise on Jan. 15, the first day he was trade eligible.

Kuminga, 23, has been one of the most discussed players in the NBA since this past summer when he became a restricted free agent. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal to return to Golden State after a nearly two-month standoff with the franchise. 

Kuminga had an opportunity instead to sign a qualifying offer (worth $7.9 million), which would've made him an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Warriors reportedly offered Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million deal with a team option during his contract negotiations, according to ESPN, which was an increase of their original offer of two years, $45 million.

Even after signing that deal, Kuminga has been in and out of the Warriors' rotation this season. He has appeared in just 20 games (13 starts) and is averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 45.4% from the floor. Kuminga missed more than a month of action before returning to the floor on Jan. 20. He played 21 minutes and scored 20 points that night and then scored 10 points in nine minutes of action on Jan. 22. He hasn't played in any of the team's five games since. 

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There was optimism after the contract standoff that this could be the year that Kuminga thrived in a clear-cut role with the franchise that drafted him. But that never materialized, and now he's heading to Atlanta for a fresh start alongside Hield, a career 39.5% 3-point shooter who has been a mainstay of the Warriors' rotation over the last two seasons. 

With Porziņģis, the Warriors are acquiring a player who is in the final year of his deal. Porziņģis, 30, is making $30.7 million this season and is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Hawks big man missed his team's last 13 games due to Achilles tendinitis. He was set to return against the Miami Heat earlier this week, but it was postponed due to illness.

Earlier this season, Porziņģis was sidelined due to a mystery illness -- an issue he also dealt with during his time with the Boston Celtics. In 17 games this season, Porziņģis is averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

Porziņģis was traded in July from the Celtics to Atlanta in a three-team deal with the Brooklyn Nets. Porziņģis helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA title over the Dallas Mavericks after being traded from the Washington Wizards in the 2023 offseason. Porziņģis, the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, started his career with the New York Knicks before he was traded to the Mavericks in 2019. 

The Warriors weren't done with Wednesday night trades after acquiring Porziņģis. Golden State dealt big man Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a 2026 second-round pick via the Lakers, ESPN reported. Jackson-Davis, a second-round pick in 2023, is averaging 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.4 minutes across 36 games.