According to ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors have reached a trade agreement with the Atlanta Hawks: they sent Jonathan Cuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for 30-year-old veteran center Kristaps Porzingis.

Charania further pointed out that this move signifies the informal end of the Warriors' pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo. They had made multiple offers to the Milwaukee Bucks over the past week, including key players such as Cuminga, Draymond Green, Brandin Pojempsky, and several first-round picks. After confirming the Bucks' lack of interest, Warriors general manager Michael Dunleavy and his team immediately began addressing the team's weakness in the paint.

As a 2.18-meter tall, 109-kilogram stretch big man, Kristaps Porzingis had already caught the Warriors' eye last season when he played in the playoffs with the Celtics. The Warriors had been looking for a center who could protect the rim and shoot three-pointers, and believed that Porzingis could form a good partnership with Draymond Green.

Kristaps Porzingis was the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NBA draft. Throughout his career, he has played for several teams, including the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, and Atlanta Hawks. To date, he has played 518 regular season games, averaging 19.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 30.5 minutes per game, and won the 2024 NBA championship with the Celtics.

However, Porzingis's postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) has always been a potential threat to his attendance and performance. Due to repeated episodes, he only played 17 games after being traded to the Hawks, averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks in 24.3 minutes per game.

With the trade completed, Cuminga's five-year career with the Warriors has come to an end. As the 7th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft, Cuminga played 278 regular season games for the Warriors, averaging 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 22.1 minutes per game, with a 50.3% field goal percentage and a 33.1% three-point percentage. He also averaged 7.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 34 playoff games, winning the 2022 NBA championship with the team.

Affected by injuries and multiple DNPs, Kuminga only played 20 regular season games this season, averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 23.8 minutes per game. Since requesting a trade on January 15, his stance of leaving the team before February 5 has remained unwavering.

Image source: Internet