Once upon a time, Jonathan Kuminga found himself buried on the bench of Steve Kerr\u2019s Warriors.<\/p>\n
Now the Atlanta Hawks forward might not find a stable home in Atlanta either, with John Hollinger of The Athletic predicting the Hawks will decline his $24.3 million team option<\/a> for the 2026-27 NBA season.<\/p>\n \u201cBORD$ still values him as a high-end reserve, with his $9.4 million valuation falling well short of the contract dollars,\u201d Hollinger wrote. \u201cI could see the Hawks picking up the option to use his contract in a trade, but it\u2019s more likely that they decline it and either re-up at a lower number or move on.\u201d<\/p>\n BORD$ is Hollinger\u2019s proprietary player valuation system, which factors in regular-season production, age, injury history and projected minutes to estimate what a player is actually worth on the open market.<\/p>\n Kuminga averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range across 36 games with the Hawks after being traded by the Warriors in February<\/a>. The 23-year-old was selected No. 7 overall by Golden State in the 2021 NBA Draft, a pick the Warriors hoped would develop into a long-term frontcourt piece next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green before injuries and inconsistency stalled his rise.<\/p>\n The numbers tell only part of the story. Kuminga was in and out of Hawks coach Quin Snyder\u2019s rotation for much of the season \u2014 a pattern not unlike his up-and-down role under Kerr in Golden State<\/a>, where his minutes fluctuated wildly from game to game despite flashes of real talent.<\/p>\n The Hawks have until June 29 to make their decision. If they decline the option, Kuminga becomes an unrestricted free agent \u2014 though Hollinger\u2019s valuation suggests his next contract may once again fall short of what he believes he\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n