Jonathan Kuminga's Feelings About Warriors Trade Reportedly Revealed After Hawks Deal
Fifth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga's desire to be traded from the Golden State Warriors was no secret, but Wednesday night's deal that sent him to the Atlanta Hawks caught him by surprise.
According to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, sources said that Kuminga was "shocked" to be sent to the Hawks and felt Atlanta was an "out of left field" destination.
Kuminga was a restricted free agent this past summer, and he was pursued by teams like the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Johnson noted that the Hawks "aren't a team that his camp kept contact with," so he wasn't expecting to be sent to Atlanta along with veteran guard Buddy Hield in exchange for center Kristaps Porzingis.
Kuminga appeared in 20 games for Golden State this season with 13 starts and averaged 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He was held out of the Warriors' rotation for a month before returning to action in January after the team lost star forward Jimmy Butler to a torn ACL. However, he is also on the mend after suffering a bone bruise in his knee.
When Kuminga returns to full strength, he undoubtedly will be motivated to help the Hawks compete for a playoff spot this year. Atlanta ranks ninth in the East with a 25-27 record and will be in action on Thursday night against the Utah Jazz (16-35).
