Why Warriors traded Jonathan Kuminga to Hawks

It hasn't taken long for Jonathan Kuminga to take flight with the Atlanta Hawks.

In the meantime, the Golden State Warriors continue to be battered by injuries, and they might already be regretting the fact that they traded Kuminga at all.

Entering Wednesday night, Kuminga has played three games with the Hawks.

He's shooting 67.7% from the floor in an Atlanta uniform, including 55.6% from 3-point range. 

Kuminga with the Hawks is averaging 21.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

He's dunking on people and making plays for others, too. It's everything he was supposed to be as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Right now, though, it's happening for Atlanta, not Golden State.

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Jonathan Kuminga trade details

This deal was completed on Feb. 5:

• Hawks get: Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga
• Warriors get: Kristaps Porzingis

Porzingis has played just one game so far for the Warriors, a 17-minute outing on Feb. 19. He's currently out with illness.

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Why did the Warriors trade Jonathan Kuminga to the Hawks?

Simply put, the Warriors failed time and again to figure out how to use Kuminga.

His game never really fit their ball-movement, spacing system. Kuminga is more of an old-school wing who likes to operate in the midrange and show off his athleticism going to the hoop.

Despite that, Kuminga stood out in last season's playoffs when Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry were out. He entered this season in a starting role.

But by the trade deadline, he had fallen almost entirely out of the rotation. Steve Kerr kept deciding to play other guys instead of Kuminga. It simply didn't fit, whether rightly or wrongly.

It's the Hawks' gain, for sure. They moved off an aging player in Porzingis for a youngster in Kuminga still with immense potential.

Right now, Atlanta looks like massive winners of this trade.

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