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The Warriors didn’t land Giannis Antetokounmpo at the NBA trade deadline, but they did walk away with Kristaps Porzingis after sending Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for the veteran big man.
There were some raised eyebrows from Dub Nation and around the league after Golden State acquired the oft-injured center, but both the Warriors and Porzingis are confident he’ll make a healthy return once director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini gets him right.
Here’s how NBA writers and analysts around the mediascape graded the trade, which also finalized Golden State’s inevitable divorce from Kuminga and saved the team some money:
Warriors: C-plus
“Porzingis fills Golden State’s longstanding desire for a stretch 5 who can also protect the rim. It was a logical enough fit that I essentially included this exact swap as part of a multiteam Anthony Davis trade proposal in December.
But the Warriors’ needs have changed significantly since then due to Jimmy Butler III‘s season-ending ACL injury. I’m no longer convinced center was the right place to address at the expense of wing depth.”
Hawks: B-plus
“There was certainly still a role for Porzingis to play in Atlanta, but it’s understandable they’d want to move on in favor of Kuminga, who’s seven years younger. Although forward wasn’t a glaring need for the Hawks, Kuminga’s power game is a useful dimension for an Atlanta roster that’s more built on finesse.”
Warriors: B
“After five years of inconsistent playing time in a system that he didn’t fit within, Kuminga no longer held meaningful trade value. There were reports over the summer that Sacramento was willing to give up a lottery-protected first-round pick for him, but any hope of a deal there seemingly passed when the Kings landed De’Andre Hunter. He had essentially become little more than matching salary, and with the odds of an Antetokounmpo deal seeming low, the Warriors moved on.
“Now, if this were a healthy Porziņģis, Golden State would get an A+. The Warriors have spent years looking for this sort of player. Part of the motivation of signing Al Horford this offseason was the need to pair Draymond Green with a center who can shoot. Golden State has never really had a gigantic, stationary rim-protector before, and his size near the rim gives them a dimension they’ve largely lacked as well.”
Hawks: B
“The Hawks and Warriors are operating one different timetables. They genuinely hoped Porziņģis could form a center tandem with Onyeka Okongwu that they could build around moving forward. That didn’t happen. They simply couldn’t justify paying Porziņģis on a long-term deal. They need certainty at the center position, and he couldn’t provide it. So moving on made sense. …
“So, like Golden State, the Hawks took a low-risk, high-reward flyer. Hield is only guaranteed $3 million next season, but because he has two years left on his deal, that can even be stretched across five years if he’s waived. That’s an easy enough contract to dispose of. And Kuminga has a $24.3 million team option for next season. If they need to use him as matching salary in a summer trade, they can. If they want to just get off of the contract for whatever reason, they can do so as well.”
Warriors: C
“From a basketball standpoint, Porziņģis does theoretically fill a need. The Warriors have lacked size for… well… years, really. Porziņģis has incredible height, reach and a rare skill set to go with that height and reach. Porziņģis can score at all three levels, which is not something the Warriors have had in a big man, maybe ever. He’s a perfect pick-and-pop big option. He can protect the rim, get alley-oops and score in the midrange. But there are a couple of problems with the Warriors bringing him in. …
“Granted, they weren’t playing Kuminga or Hield much, so it’s not like they lost real rotation players for Kerr with this deal. I’m just not sure how much they’ve actually acquired the rest of this season when it’s a big man who has only played in 58.5 percent of his career games. The Warriors get a confused lower grade here, but I’m open to it being a precursor to a bigger move that would make more sense.”
Hawks: B
“The Kuminga addition follows the Hawks’ plan over the last year or two: go get some athletic perimeter players. Kuminga has great athletic ability and at times he’s shown he can really score. He just didn’t play basketball in a way Kerr tolerated or even mildly accepted. The Hawks will have a chance to audition Kuminga for their future with him having a team option for next season. Kuminga fits a similar body mold they’ve acquired with guys like Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.”
Warriors: C-plus
“I mean… sure? Porzingis is a great player and a solid fit for this Warriors team. He can stretch the floor, as he has throughout his career. But he’s struggled to be on the court, which is a concern. He does have an expiring deal, for what that’s worth. They got out from under Hield’s deal.
“But we have to factor in that this is the move and not for Giannis Antetokounmpo. And this is all they got after all that with Kuminga? I guess the market was pretty soft here.”
Hawks: B-plus
“We know Hield can shoot, but this is more about Kuminga, a player who we’ve all wondered about when he’s no longer a Warrior. The forward is only 23, so there’s potential for a true breakout with a change of zip codes. That’s worth dealing an expiring contract for, isn’t it? Especially when you’re not among the top contenders. I like this for the Hawks.”
Warriors: B-plus
“The advanced numbers overstate Porzingis’ impact, obviously. No one who has watched the Hawks this year believes he’s close to a top-10 player in the league. At the same time, Porzingis has a unique skill set as a 7’3 big man who can block shots and stroke three-pointers at an elite rate for his position. His 4.8 percent block rate this season is a huge number that ranks in the 91st percentile of all bigs. He’s also making 36 percent of his threes on nearly 10 attempts per 100 possessions. …
“Porzingis’ $30.7 million deal comes off the books this summer, meaning Golden State immediately improved its rotation without taking on any long-term risk. Could they have really gotten something better for Kuminga? I don’t think so. Porzingis may never make an impact for Golden State because he can’t get on the floor, but he’s still pretty good if his health situation changes, and that would add an impact player to a Warriors front court that needs it.
“The fact that the Warriors also got off Buddy Hield’s final years in this deal is even more impressive even if it was only guaranteed for $3 million next year. That alone is a little win for Golden State, and getting a player like Porzingis is just icing on the cake.”
Hawks: B-minus
“Porzingis wasn’t in Atlanta’s long-term plans, and it was known for a while the team wanted to trade him in-season. Kuminga is an interesting return as a physically talented forward who has never been able to fully put everything together. Kuminga wasn’t a good enough decision-maker, shooter, or defender to earn Steve Kerr’s trust, and that had him pouting on the sidelines for most of his Warriors tenure. He needed a change of scenery, and Atlanta provides that.
“Kuminga and Jalen Johnson could give the Hawks a huge wing tandem if he is in their long-term plans. Atlanta’s future is mostly tied to if they get lottery luck with the New Orleans Pelicans’ pick they wisely acquired at last year’s draft. The Hawks feel like they’re under construction after the Trae Young trade, so it’s hard to make any assumptions about what this team looks like next year. For now, Kuminga will probably get a chance to run the floor and get buckets as Atlanta probably sneaks into the play-in tournament.
“The most surprising thing about this trade is Atlanta was willing to take on Buddy Hield’s deal, which is only $3 million guaranteed for next season. I’m a Kuminga skeptic, but this is a low-risk swing to get him into your building for a player you had no use for.”
Warriors: A
“This trade would have hit much differently if Jimmy Butler never suffered a torn ACL. Porzingis’ availability is a coin-toss proposition, but his meld of rim protection and floor-spacing would be ideal for lineups featuring both Butler and Draymond Green.
“To be fair, the KP-Draymond frontcourt remains super intuitive. Porzingis just can’t float the minutes without Stephen Curry that Butler could. That’s fine, especially given what the Warriors gave up.
“Kuminga became a lost cause for this team, and Hield has tumbled down the nightly pecking order. Porzingis can also ferry some self-creation from the mid-post, and he compromises neither the floor-spacing nor defense in fuller strength lineups. Amid admittedly limited playing time, KP joins Victor Wembanyama as the only centers averaging over 20.0 points, 1.5 made threes and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes.”
Hawks: C
“Kristaps Porzingis’ availability has not been great this season, which is why the Hawks were a candidate to go out and trade for another big man in the first place. Instead, they flipped a center for a cursory look at a combo forward, a guard and no bigs.
“Atlanta’s offense has not looked so hot since the Trae Young trade—and to be sure, it wasn’t any great shakes before that. Jonathan Kuminga has on-ball moments that make you go ‘Whoa,“‘and Buddy Hield can buoy the team’s efficiency with his gravity. Overall, though, this feels…aimless.
“Minimal harm will be incurred if that’s the case. Kuminga has a team option for next season while Hield is guaranteed just $3 million. The Hawks could also view their salaries as vessels through which they make a bigger trade over the summer. They did not have that option with Kristaps Porzingis, who is entering unrestricted free agency.”
Warriors: B-minus
“From a basketball perspective, the Warriors did well for themselves. In theory.
“Porzingis encapsulates the kind of player Golden State has sought for quite a while– a stretch five who can shoot and defend at a high level. In 17 games with the Hawks this season, Porzingis has averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 36.0% from 3-point range.
“At his best, Porzingis is a dynamic big man who fits nicely next to Draymond Green (if the Dubs keep him past the deadline), whose offense has cratered as age catches up to him. Those few showings for the Boston Celtics’ gentleman’s sweep of the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals are the best-case scenario for the Warriors. A rim-protecting, 3-point shooting 7-footer who can change a game in minutes.”
Hawks: B-plus
“For the Hawks, they turn Porzingis’s expiring $30 million into an opportunity to see Kuminga up close and personal. The rest of this season will be an evaluation of how the young, intriguing forward fits into their core next to budding star Jalen Johnson. However, it doesn’t exactly seem like a seamless fit for Kuminga and the Hawks on paper.
“Kuminga is a ball-dominant forward whose biggest strength is the pressure he puts on the rim. His defense comes and goes, and the same with his rebounding. Next to a wing like Johnson, who also needs the ball to operate and would benefit more from being surrounded by shooting, it makes for a clunky fit.”
So now the question stands, Dub Nation: Who do you think won the trade?