Kuminga $24.3 million option puts Hawks on track to keep him
kuminga is expected to stay with the Atlanta Hawks for next season after the club moves toward exercising his $24.3 million team option, a decision tied to his 23-year-old forward status and the final year of his deal. The move would keep Atlanta on its current roster path while giving it a built-in contract piece for later.
Siegel’s Atlanta read
Brett Siegel reported on Friday that Atlanta will keep Jonathan Kuminga and said there really isn't a reason for the Hawks not to opt in. He wrote that by picking up the final year of his deal, the Hawks can continue to develop Kuminga while preserving a contract slot that could matter later.
Siegel also said Kuminga could wind up being the key piece to an in-season trade during the 2026-27 season since he will be an expiring salary. That gives Atlanta a reason to view the option as more than a simple retention move; it is also a piece of roster management.
Kuminga’s Atlanta numbers
The on-court case for keeping him is straightforward. With Atlanta, Kuminga averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field.
Those numbers came during a season in which the Hawks finished 46-36 and placed sixth in the Eastern Conference before losing to the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in six games. Atlanta’s decision on the option comes against that backdrop, with the front office weighing how much of the current group it wants to carry forward and where the next upgrade might come from.
Trade value in 2026-27
The contract angle is the part that changes the picture. A player on an expiring salary is easier to move in-season, and Siegel’s view points to Kuminga as the sort of piece Atlanta could use if it chooses to reshape the roster during the 2026-27 season. The Hawks already moved him from the Golden State Warriors in the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State, ending the drawn-out saga with his former team.
Siegel said Atlanta will be selective on the trade market and not force any action, which keeps Kuminga’s option decision linked to a larger roster plan rather than a one-off move. If the Hawks exercise the $24.3 million option, they hold the forward for another season and keep a tradeable salary in place for later.
