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Speaking of the Hawks, unrestricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga remains a candidate to return to Atlanta on a potential one-plus-one deal, league sources told HoopsHype. With Atlanta currently $4.1 million below the luxury tax and having 17 players on the roster for 15 spots, the Hawks remain in trade discussions. As previously reported by HoopsHype, veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield is a trade candidate to monitor. It’s also worth noting that forward Mo Gueye has a $2.41 million non-guaranteed salary for the upcoming season and will be re-evaluated in three or four months after suffering a fractured left foot and having surgery. Devin Carter also became more expendable after the acquisition of Ryan Nembhard.
Kuminga, 23, has also drawn sign-and-trade interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Milwaukee Bucks. As Kuminga and his agent, Aaron Turner of Verus Basketball, navigate his free agency, each interested team has its own unique profile and variables being weighed, such as his average annual salary, roster fit, and deal structure. There is no specific dollar amount Kuminga is seeking that applies to all interested teams.
The Hawks have 17 players under contract after adding Dort and Nembhard, so they must subtract two by the time the season starts. Nembhard fills a need for a third point guard and seems unlikely to be the odd man out. Guard Buddy Hield is still on the books for $9 million but does not appear to be in the team’s plans, while guard Devin Carter (acquired in a salary dump from the Sacramento Kings) and forward Mo Gueye (on a non-guaranteed deal but out three to four months after surgery for a broken foot) are other potential casualties. Another trade, of course, is always possible. Atlanta also still has Bird rights on Kuminga that could be used in a sign-and-trade.
Michael Scotto: The Atlanta Hawks will fully guarantee the $9.66 million salary for Buddy Hield, league sources told @hoopshype. Hield is a career 39.5 percent 3-point shooter.
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Keith Smith: With Buddy Hield on the books at his full $9.6M salary, the Atlanta Hawks are roughly $7.1M under the luxury tax and $15.1M under the first apron. The Hawks have one open roster spot. This factors in the Aaron Wiggins trade, plus both first-round draft picks.
Brad Rowland: Per source, the new guarantee date for Buddy Hield is June 28th. Hield and the Hawks mutually agreed to move it back yesterday from the original date of June 25th. (Reminder: Hield is already owed $3 million guaranteed on his ~$9.6 million deal for 2026-27)
Chris Haynes: Sources: Atlanta Hawks and sharpshooter Buddy Hield have agreed to push back the guaranteed deadline date on his contract so both sides have more time to flush out options. Of his $9.7M salary, $3M is fully guaranteed. Deadline was today.
Keith Smith: Barring an amendment to push the deadline back, Buddy Hield's contract with the Atlanta Hawks will become fully guaranteed at $9.6M if he's not waived today. Hield's deal is already partially guaranteed for $3M.
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Also, keep an eye on Buddy Hield. Only $3M of his $9.6M salary is guaranteed. The Hawks must make a decision by Thursday, per his contract. Hield, who has had interest in Heat in the past, averaged 7.6 points and shot 34.9 in 51 games for Golden State and Atlanta.
Makik Brown: Buddy on what he envisions his role being next season: “Of course I want to play but if I’m called to a different role I’ll accept that. If I’m called to be one of those leaders and when my number is called, I’ll do that… “I’m not going to be one of those stubborn guys and say ‘I want to play’…”
Kevin Chouinard: Buddy Hield, on Zaccharie Risacher: “You just use this test, turn this into testimony. And when you look back on it in three or four years, you’ll be like, ‘Man, I've been in the fire for a reason.’ “And I think he's going to get all of that, and I tell him that he's going to have a summer where – whether he's in LA or Miami, where he's not going back to Europe – he's staying here and he's going to play a lot of basketball and he's going to work on his game and he's going to get a lot better.”
Well, it was his Warriors teammate, the one and only Steph Curry, who got Butler this time. Back when the sharpshooter entered his own sneaker free agency and had the entire league wondering what kicks he’d be rocking on any given night, Curry stunned Butler when wearing a pair from his signature line with Li-Ning during a game. “I think the first time I wore a shoe other than my own in an actual game, which was the [Li-Ning Jimmy Butler JB4 “Dark Knight”],” Curry said on his YouTube channel when asked about which pair of sneakers he wore that surprised people the most. “Those, even my own teammates, nobody knew I was actually going to wear another shoe outside of mine until literally right when we went to the starting lineups, and we were in the circle. “We do like this little dance, and everybody's getting hype, and then (ex-Golden State fan favorite Buddy Hield) pointed down and is like, ‘Oh, look at–,’ and then Jimmy looked down; he lost his mind because he didn't even know, because everybody's kind of in their own mode, getting ready for the game. I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life, just because it was kind of from a teammate-to-teammate perspective of being able to show love."
