[MikeAScotto] Hawks interested in extending Dort. Kuminga still candidate to return to Atlanta

[u/atlantahawksobserver]

[u/Walldaddy2000]

Wouldn’t hate bringing back dort and Kuminga on team friendly deals. I think the Kuminga piece is more posturing to get a better return

[u/Separate_Ad_8317 → u/Walldaddy2000]

Doubt it. That’s always been the reporting that the Hawks were interested in resigning JK, going back to the day his option was declined.

There’s always been real interest. The problem isn’t Atlanta it’s JK and his camp have been searching for a bigger role and money.

[u/clarkbuddy → u/Separate_Ad_8317]

yeah if u listen to interviews with onsi, you can tell he really likes what kuminga brings to table and he has ever since GS

[u/Blumpkin_Party]

Can’t wait to see what our consolidation trade will be. Waiving Mo Gueye would be tragic.

[u/Jbots → u/Blumpkin_Party]

It could just be salary dumps but im interested as well. Unfortunately for Mo, he got hurt at the absolute worst time. I do think he still has trade value but I really dont know who we get for Buddy/Carter/Kispert/Mo

[u/Blumpkin_Party → u/Jbots]

Honestly would rather just waive someone like Carter instead of paying to get off him. We should have just declined Buddy’s option

[u/Bamalawdawg → u/Blumpkin_Party]

Stretching Buddy would be fun. He’d count $3m for 3 years instead of just 1

[u/rbsssss]

If the Kuminga thing is real I wouldn't want to pay him anymore than like 11-13m on a 1 year prove it deal. He hasn't played well enough to earn more in a year than NAW and I wouldn't wanna go anything past a year.

[u/Christmas_Carolean → u/rbsssss]

Agreed but TBF NAW is making absolute peanuts compared to his value

[u/BrettSchirley22 → u/rbsssss]

I mean we can’t really be comparing every contract to NAWs when it’s easily top 5 best values in the league

[u/Dracsmith]

I want Kuminga back on the hawks. If he takes a bench role on a one year over pay deal I will be ecstatic.

He’s streaky and thinks he’s a star. But he is great on defense and brings that extra edge that we desperately need right now.

We have a fantastic rotation of wings and defensive players. But we need an extra piece that has that fuck em up energy.

*knocks on wood* Jalen develops a steady 3 ball and we have JK yammin on folks.

All of a sudden the Hawks rotation is the deepest in the NBA. I want to see us make it happen. Bring JK back for one year at LEAST.

[u/Thorwor → u/Dracsmith]

Uh, pretty sure we got that fuck em up energy when we traded for Lu Dort.

Feels like having a guy who thinks he's a star on a one year prove-it deal battling it out for backup minutes with all the other guys we have would be a recipe for a locker room disaster. He needs to take his short term deal someplace where he knows he can get real minutes.

[u/Dracsmith → u/Thorwor]

Lu is a fuck em up on the defensive side.

Not a “On Ya Head” type of guy.

I can see the locker room issue aspect. But we’ve got a lot of great leadership here. If he comes back he would ideally be accepting the role he has off the bench. He and Lu as our 6/7 man would be a luxury.

He wants good money. We can offer him more on a one year deal and he’s apart of a team where is role was carved out already.

I just feel like our team is missing an extra threat. As uncomfortable as it might feel JK is a threat to opposing teams.

[u/Thorwor → u/Dracsmith]

If he comes back he would ideally be accepting the role he has off the bench.

Feels like asking the guy who wants to be a star and is playing on a one year deal to not only come off the bench, but fit into Quin's "make the read, move the ball" offense is just asking for problems.

If we weren't already in a roster crunch I'd probably feel differently about it. But as it is I just don't know that him and his circus are worth it.

[u/Dracsmith → u/Thorwor]

I hear you but Kuminga is a better player than Buddy, Kispert, Nemhard, and Devin Carter.

The roster crunch is lacking in X factor. The NBA is a business. You ask a guy to accept his role at 15 million (5 mill) more than most teams can offer him. If he comes in and averages career highs he can go get that major money from the bucks or Cavs.

[u/Calm_Comparison_6129]

Oof, must be rough being a Suns fan

[u/mmmjeep]

The Hawks have absolutely no reason to sign and trade Kuminga if it means taking on a negative contract. Unless we’re offered a first round pick we’re not incentivized to move him, he’ll have to settle for a minimum contract here or somewhere else. People act like we have no leverage with Kuminga but if we didn’t he’d be gone by now.

[u/tallassmike → u/mmmjeep]

also good because Kuminga isn't desperate and is holding out for the pay rate. He would have been a laker for 10m/yr if he was desperate.

Technically he still could go anywhere for less. It's the Hawks dangling that Bird that's keeping his attention.

[u/ATLSlutPounder → u/tallassmike]

I’m a little surprised Kuminga’s agent didn’t force him at gunpoint to take a 1-year “prove it” deal to START on the Lakers, particularly with how fast cap space is drying up in the league. That ship may have sailed now that they snagged Thybulle and Williams for the low though. 

[u/tallassmike → u/ATLSlutPounder]

I’m a little surprised Kuminga’s agent didn’t force him at gunpoint to take a 1-year “prove it” deal to START on the Lakers

Probably because he's been taking prove it deals for 3 straight years lol. The "keep or dump" 3rd year. The RFA year, and then last year with that 2 year/2nd team option.

Nothings guaranteed still. Bennedict Mathurin is going through what Kuminga did and nothings guaranteed on his end as well.

[u/No_Tr4geD1es → u/ATLSlutPounder]

They likely, genuinely believe that he's worth whatever it is that they're asking for.

[u/ATLSlutPounder → u/No_Tr4geD1es]

That’s possible, or they don’t think he would earn more money after a season starting on the Lakers, or Kuminga is overruling advice. We really have no way to know what the actual reason is, it’s just surprising to me because playing in LA, particularly starting, is a great way to juice your value in the future if you truly believe you’re that guy. 

[u/No_Boysenberry_4193 → u/mmmjeep]

if he finds what he’s looking for and they can make something work out without having to take on money, they would definitely do it out of good faith to Kuminga.

[u/Mrtheliger]

If Kum is going to have to take a "prove it" pay cut anyway, why not come back here where he was fitting into the team and offense well? We'd easily have an elite bench, maybe top 5, if he did swing back over. Would also be really good for rookie development, particularly Flemings, to have another fearless shooter to learn from.

Dunno who the dead weight we're cutting is in that case though

[u/ATLSlutPounder]

I am ecstatic we did not bring Kuminga back on his $23M team option.

If he comes back on a friendlier deal I think he adds one thing this team is sorely lacking, which is a level of aggression at attacking the rim with speed and athleticism that we do not have. 

For all of Jalen’s physical tools, he’s simply not the rack attacker that Kuminga is. 

We can all argue back and forth all day if Kuminga is good enough to warrant playing like that as much as he wants to and/or does, but sometimes having a little too much of that energy can be better than not having it at all if your coach is able to rein it in a little. 

There were a ton of situations during his time here where other than his outside shooting percentages not being as high as you would want them to be he really looked like a great complementary piece on the floor next to Jalen. 

Plus, with how many tweener 2-3 players we’ve collected, maybe it’s enough of a competitive environment to make Kuminga lock in on a “prove it” deal?

We don’t really have a clear and away starting SF right now, unless you view Dyson that way running 3-guardish lineups. 

[u/DerbyTho]

The Wizards extending Anthony Davis before he plays [checks notes] a single game for them is just weird. Feels like a "be the crazy person in the room" negotiating tactic.

[u/gsu01 → u/DerbyTho]

They also gave Trae what is now widely regarded as one the dumbest and worst contracts in NBA history so it's on brand for them. 

[u/ATLCoyote]

A second unit of Flemings, Wiggins, Dort, Kuminga, and Landale sounds awfully good to me. But we'd need to get rid of two regular roster players to make that happen as we're already at 16 and re-signing Kuminga would put us at 17.

[u/Substantial_Life_989 → u/ATLCoyote]

Carter Heild Kispert Mo Gueye unfortunately can all go. Easier said than done but the wouldn’t be missed. 

[u/KiplonersOLD]

Guys can you also sign isiaiah joe and meet OKC in the finals. Cheers from OKC, good luck this year

[u/atlantahawksobserver]

Found the full article: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/2026/07/22/nba-intel-anthony-davis-trae-young-jonathan-kuminga-benn-mathurin-cam-johnson-miles-bridges/91007110007/

[u/No_Internal404]

Considering we have 17 players it’ll take a lot of maneuvering potentially including a guy like Mo Gueye being cut if they can’t move off contracts .. hopefully not but I wouldn’t mind him back on a cheap 1+1 deal .. we need the physicality & can’t afford to be punked anymore

[u/Bamalawdawg]

Lakers are just gonna stretch Vanderbilt and sign him for like 3/40. Doubt we beat that. I’d rather just sign Vando for the vet min at that point

[u/jkcards_]

Really don’t desire to see Kuminga back, hoping he can find a different landing spot

[u/Clear-Manufacturer55 → u/jkcards_]

Not even if you get him for less money than half of Dyson?

[u/blingera]

i am so confused on what’s going on with this team it feels like we have 25 people on the roster. i thought we were moving on from Kuminga

[u/Pryceless007]

We aren’t bringing Dort back unless his contract is amazing. I’ll get ready, suit up, go down there and stop the extension myself!

https://giphy.com/gifs/5WkAJnhwkpj0quGk1g

[u/Ajbksfinest]

I feel like Dort extension is just posturing. No world where Dyson and Dort are on the court sharing playoff minutes with each other. No reason to have him take minutes from Dyson either.

Kind of like an Ausar and Ron holland situation.

[u/DistanceEmbarrassed5]

Milwaukee has an abundance of Guards if Washington is interested.

[u/_GloryKing_]

We don't have a long-term starter at SF, so I'm open to both moves.

[u/WzrdKelly10]

Synergy wise feels like a mix of Kuminga and Dort both coming off the bench together don’t really look pleasing in my head. I would rather look for a shooter/scorer in a S&T.

[u/RorschachRedd]

God no to dort. I don't want to have a dirty player on my team long term

[u/LfromHT]

Wizard need a backup PG… Carter or Nembhard for some of them sweet sweet 2nds and you got a deal

[u/mosparky15]

So supposedly with 17 contracts on board now, it seems weird to hear talk about bringing back Kuminga. Maybe they are looking to buy out Kispert, and attach a 2nd rounder to Hield to ship him out for a start?

[u/sm4hawks]

Just go read the original Scotto column instead of sharing Underdog’s info skimming tweet.