The Atlanta Hawks have several avenues for improving their team this offseason, and it could depend on decisions to make with players currently under contract. Jonathan Kuminga is one of those players, as he has a $24.3 million team option, and there is uncertainty about what the Hawks plan to do with the forward.
As of now, it looks like even though they’ve explored his trade value, he could return to the team, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
“Atlanta has a $24.3 million team option for the 2026-27 season on Kuminga, who scored 40 combined points in two Hawks wins against the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. The Hawks have conducted their due diligence and gauged Kuminga’s value on the trade market ahead of the draft, league sources told HoopsHype. With that said, the 23-year-old forward returning to the Hawks next season remains a real possibility,” Scotto wrote.
There are several ways the Hawks can approach Kuminga’s contract this offseason. They could pick up his option and keep his $24.3 million on their books, which may hinder some of the moves they may want to make in free agency. The other option is declining his option and signing him to a longer deal for less money, which is a way to help their books moving forward.
The latter might be the best option for the Hawks if they want to bring him back, as he was a key part of their run in the second half of last season.
There is also still the chance of the Hawks moving on from Kuminga and using that cap space for someone else. They’re supposed to make guard depth a priority this offseason, and they have plans of re-signing McCollum for $20 million AAV. The draft is also a place they plan to address the position with the No. 8 pick.
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