Jonathan Kuminga has looked completely at home since coming over to the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds a game, shooting 56.6% overall and hitting better than 50% of his 3-pointers. While he has been in and out of the lineup with knee issues, the Hawks have won all six games he has played in.
That has led to “mutual interest” between Kuminga and Atlanta in talking contract extension, reports NBA insider Jake Fischer, writing at The Stein Line.
Last summer, Kuminga was pushed in restricted free agency and eventually settled on a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension with Golden State, which included a $24.3 million team option for next season. That contract was built to be traded, and he was at the deadline to the Hawks.
The Hawks and Kuminga are discussing an extension in which the team would not pick up next year’s option but would give him a multi-year contract worth more total money, Fischer reports. Kuminga told Fischer that his goal is to make the Hawks a consistent contender.
“That’s the goal,” Kuminga said. “That’s what we’re trying to do here, what we’re trying to stamp here as a group. We talk about it every day. It starts now. We’re not waiting until next year.”
Atlanta had its 11-game winning streak snapped by Houston on Friday night, but the Hawks are now up to No. 7 in the East with a real opportunity to move into the top six and avoid the play-in altogether. Kuminga is a part of that push, and maybe a big part of the future in Atlanta.
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