Warriors acquire $60 million ex-Celtics NBA champion in Jonathan-Kuminga centered trade

The Golden State Warriors completed a blockbuster trade on Wednesday night that will likely be met with mixed emotions. 

The Warriors acquired a former Boston Celtics NBA champion forward in a Jonathan-Kuminga-centered deal. 

“BREAKING: The Golden State Warriors are trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X/Twitter. “The Warriors had Porzingis as a target for the last couple of months and land the floor-spacing big man. For the Hawks, a high-upside wing for Quin Snyder and a sharpshooter on the wings.”

On one hand, Porzingis is a star center when healthy and is far from a one-dimensional one at that. The 7-foot-2 center isn’t afraid to let it fly from deep when defenders give him too much of a cushion and explode to the rim when his opponents’ closeouts are under control. 

Defensively, Porzingis’ 7-foot-6 makes him a cheat code, as he has a clear advantage over shorter, less physically gifted players. Simply put, Porzingis will be the most talented center Stephen Curry has ever played with in his illustrious NBA career. 

On the other hand, the former New York Knicks All-Star is injury-prone, which should cause some concern within the Warriors’ organization. Additionally, the Warriors ideally wanted to acquire Milwaukee Bucks phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo before the deadline to give them a bigger boost. 

At the end of the day, though, the Warriors did exactly what they were supposed to do: pair Curry with another star during the midway point of the year.

More NBA: Warriors cut ties with 6-foot-9 fan-favorite forward via trade to Raptors