The 2026 NBA offseason is here, and the draft is just five days away. Hanging over the draft are the potential transactions that could happen this summer, and the Atlanta Hawks are going to be a team to watch in terms of how they go about their offseason.
Why is that? Well, the Hawks have two first-round picks, including the No. 8 overall pick, and some big decisions to make about players who were on their roster and helped them have a 20-6 finish after the All-Star break. One of those players is Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga was acquired at the trade deadline from the Warriors, along with Buddy Hield, in a deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State, and it was a fairly productive tenure for Kuminga.
Kuminga was Atlanta’s top bench player and he had some standout performances in games two and three in their first round playoff series against the Knicks.
This summer, he has a $24.3 million team option and it seems like a given that the Hawks are going to pick it up, but will they use his contract to make a trade or is he going to be back on the team? Yesterday, Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto had the following to say about Kuminga and Atlanta:
“The Hawks have conducted their due diligence and gauged Kuminga’s value on the trade market ahead of the draft, league sources told HoopsHype. With that said, the 23-year-old forward returning to the Hawks next season remains a real possibility.”
If the Hawks do end up making a Kuminga trade, what would it look like? Here are five potential trade packages for the former top ten pick.
1. Hawks send Jonathan Kuminga and the No. 23 pick to Milwaukee for Myles Turner
This would be a more high profile move, but the Hawks have a need at center and assuming that a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade does happen, Milwaukee is likely going to be looking to move Turner as well.
Turner is not on the best contract and does not rebound super well, but he is a stretch big that can protect the rim and would pair well with Onyeka Okongwu. If the Hawks don’t think they can land a better center in free agency, then they could trade for Turner and hope he has a bounce back season in Atlanta.
The Bucks would get a year to look at Kuminga on their team and see if he is a fit while moving off Turner’s money.
He would not be my first option for the Hawks at center this offseason, but he might come at a good enough cost to take a shot.
2. Hawks send Jonathan Kuminga to Chicago for Tre Jones and Jalen Smith
Jones and Smith could fill roles on the bench for the Hawks and at cheap price points.
Smith is also not going to be at the top of the list for Hawks fans when it comes to a backup center, but he rebounds well and can stretch the floor, with his main problem being on the defensive end. He would be a real backup though and could give Onyeka Okongwu help, while the Hawks could still draft a big with one of their picks.
Jones would fill the role off the bench and be an upgrade over Gabe Vincent. He is a deadly shooter who can defend and is on a good contract.
Like the Bucks, the Bulls are undergoing a rebuild and might want to take a shot on a talent like this. What could complicate things though are the young players that the Bulls have in Matas Buzelis and possibly Caleb Wilson. Would Chicago want Kuminga to take away from those guys?
3. Hawks send Jonathan Kuminga and No. 23 to Brooklyn for Nic Claxton
A similar trade as the one for Myles Turner outlined above. Claxton has been solid on a bad Nets team, but they have a cheap option in Day’Ron Sharpe that they could turn to while also getting a talented player who fills a need in their frontcourt.
At his best, Claxton is an elite rim protector and defender who can be a reliable lob threat and screener on offense, not to mention being on a descending contract with two years left on it. However, he does not have much of an offensive game and the Hawks have preferred their bigs to be able to stretch the floor. Still, if they don’t think they can do better than this at the center spot, they could take the gamble and hope Claxton reverts back to his 2022-2023 form when he averaged 2.5 BPG and 9.2 RPG
4. Hawks send Jonathan Kuminga and No. 23 pick to Phoenix for Grayson Allen and Khaman Maluach
I don’t know if the Suns are going to want to move Maluach, but if they do, the Hawks should be very interested.
Maluach would give the Hawks a young, cheap center who could fill the role of rim protector and paint protector for Atlanta behind Onyeka Okongwu, while Allen would help the Hawks bench, which was not a good unit, especially in the playoffs.
Allen only has two years left on his contract and with Maluach, the Hawks could bring back Jock Landale at a good price and then draft a guard at No. 8.
Phoenix is a team that does not have many resources to get better and trading Maluach for a young forward to fit beside Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks might be the kind of upside swing that this team has to make to try and improve.
5. Hawks send Jonathan Kuminga and No. 23 to Dallas for Daniel Gafford and Naji Marshall
Are you sensing a theme here with the Kuminga trades?
If Atlanta opts to move him, it is likely going to be for a player that fills the need at center or guard. With there being a lot of talented guards near the top of the draft, Atlanta could decide to move him for a solid center and going back to the trade deadline, the Hawks have already shown interest in Gafford.
Gafford is an elite rebounder and rim runner and would pair nicely with Okongwu to give the Hawks more size. Marshall is on an expiring contract and would be another fantastic perimeter defender for Atlanta to have off the bench.
For the Mavericks, this would give them a younger forward beside Cooper Flagg and another first round pick to add to their roster.
