Now that the dust has settled from the NBA trade deadline, it’s become increasingly clear the Atlanta Hawks won their trade with the Golden State Warriors. At the trade deadline, they swapped Kristaps Porzingis for Jonathan Kuminga.
So far that trade has worked out far better for the Hawks than the Warriors. In fact, they are 17-6 since the February 5th deadline, compared to the Warriors, who are just 11-12 during the same span.
Ironically, Golden State coach Steve Kerr justified the decision to trade Kuminga to the Hawks by stating that he wasn’t able to get major minutes on a championship contender such as them. The Warriors are many things, but a title contender isn’t one of them, and it shows how badly they’ve messed up.
Jonathan Kuminga is making Steve Kerr eat his words
The Warriors have battled injuries all season. That is no doubt due to an aging roster that features four key players over the age of 35: Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, and Draymond Green.
Therefore, Kerr saying that Kuminga needed to be on a terrible team to be able to play big minutes is all the more laughable. With Steph Curry having missed 20 straight games and Jimmy Butler out for the season, they could have used his production.
Unfortunately, Kerr had Kuminga in his doghouse, and the only way for him to get a fair shake was elsewhere. He’s played well in Atlanta, and the Hawks are soaring since the trade. In fact, they look much more like contenders than the Warriors do.
The Warriors are in need of a major shake-up
As the Warriors struggle to reach the NBA Play-in tournament, it’s clear that big changes are needed in the offseason. They aren’t good enough to contend for a championship as constructed and may actually be worse next season with a post-injury Butler and Moses Moody.
However, they could lure a star such as Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James to the Bay Area. Trading for Giannis, in particular, could drastically alter their future and restore their status as a contender.
They aren’t one now, which makes Kerr’s Kuminga comments seem all the more ludicrous. Nevertheless, the Kuminga trade could ultimately work out for both sides.
He gets a fresh start on an up-and-coming team, while the Warriors can reset this summer and hopefully land a star to reemerge as a contender next season.