Late last night, the Golden State Warriors sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. After the better part of a year, this finally puts the Sacramento Kings' pursuit of Kuminga to bed, leaving one of the NBA's biggest rumors behind.
BREAKING: The Golden State Warriors are trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/eqNWwCupEZ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026
It all started in the offseason after 2024-2025 came to an end. The Warriors were trying to convince Kuminga to sign an extension with the team. While money is always a factor in the NBA, it was more about respect in this case. Specifically, Steve Kerr's apparent lack of respect for Kuminga.
Much like Keon Ellis and Doug Christie, there was a disconnect between Kuminga and his head coach at Golden State. The rest of the league was able to see the potential in Kuminga, yet Kerr seemed oblivious to it. Whether that was intentional or accidental remains up for debate.
What isn't up for debate is that the Warriors and Kuminga have finally parted ways. He eventually signed a contract, nothing changed between him and Kerr, and Jonathan requested a trade. Golden State made it happen by moving Kuminga to the Hawks with Buddy Hield in tow.
How Kuminga going to the Hawks impacts the Kings
Since this whole thing started eight or nine months ago, Sacramento has been tied to Kuminga. It was reported that the Kings were his preferred destination, and they were engaged with the Warriors in trade talks pretty much right up until the beginning of the season.
Once Kuminga was available to be traded again on January 15, those trade talks started up. Just like the offseason, nothing came of it. The Warriors got focused on trying to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, then gave up on that and went after Porzingis. They need a center.
If nothing else, it's good that this is all over. The speculation on Kuminga joining the Kings has been running rampant for so long that it would be impossible for the reality of that trade to live up to the hype. Kuminga would have been a great addition to the team, but he wasn't integral to the rebuild.
What's actually kind of scary to think about is that there's a chance of this whole rumor mill picking up steam again. If the Hawks are looking to pick up someone like Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan from the Kings, Kuminga would be an excellent trade option. It might not be as over as everyone thinks.