Revealing the Warriors' trade secrets: Offer rejected by Bucks, missing out on Giannis; an old acquaintance helps bring in Porzingis

On February 5th Beijing time, as the Warriors' hope of signing Bucks star Giannis slowly vanished, they traded Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis. Soon after closing the trade with the Hawks, the Warriors moved Jackson Davis to the Toronto Raptors, securing the Lakers' 2026 second-round draft pick.

Sources revealed that within the week leading up to the trade deadline, the Warriors repeatedly communicated with the Bucks, putting forward a blockbuster offer centered around multiple first-round picks, Draymond Green, Bjelica, and Kuminga.However, once it was clear that the Bucks had no intention of accepting the proposal, General Manager Mike Dunleavy and his team quickly shifted their strategyto address the critical weaknesses in the team's frontcourt.

On Wednesday afternoon local time, with about 24 hours remaining before the trade deadline and the pursuit of Giannis declared unsuccessful, the Warriors' management held a meeting to discuss potential roster improvements.Over the past several months, Dunleavy's team had been negotiating trades involving Kuminga with multiple teams, and the smooth progress with the Hawks was largely due to the strong relationship between the Warriors and Hawks GM Unsi Salih.

Before joining the Hawks in 2024, Salih served as the Warriors’ Vice President of Basketball Strategy, working alongside Dunleavy and other members of the Warriors' front office for years. Sources say Salih has always admired Kuminga’s on-court performance, and now the Hawks have secured this highly talented young lottery pick to strengthen their power forward position.

Sources also indicated that the Hawks had been seeking a major upgrade at the center position in the market. They were also in talks with the Dallas Mavericks about potentially acquiring Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford. Ultimately, the Hawks chose a more conservative approach by acquiring Jock Landale from the Jazz to slightly bolster their center spot, a decision that cleared the way for the Porzingis-for-Kuminga-and-Hield trade.

Standing 2.18 meters tall, Porzingis is a spacing big man who has long been on the Warriors' radar for acquisition. Even before he was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2023, the Warriors had discussed potential deals for Porzingis with the Washington Wizards. Last offseason, when the Celtics looked to move his expiring contract, Porzingis was again a potential target for the Warriors.

Since last offseason, the relationship between the Warriors and Kuminga and his camp had broken down. Although Kuminga signed a two-year restricted free agent contract with the Warriors before the 2025-26 season, his goal was always to complete a trade by the February 6th deadline and start a new chapter in his career.

Now, Kuminga and his team’s wish has been fulfilled as he joins the young and energetic Hawks. There, he will have a clear role and consistent playing time, teaming up with first-time All-Star Jalen Johnson.

Thirty-year-old Porzingis carries an expiring contract worth $30.7 million, and his addition will provide Dunleavy and the Warriors with crucial salary cap flexibility this summer.

These two trades have freed up two roster spots for the Warriors. One spot will be used to convert Pat Spencer’s two-way contract into a standard contract; the other will remain temporarily vacant so the team can explore potential buyout market signings after the trade deadline.

During his time with the Hawks this season, Porzingis played 17 games, averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 36.0%. Upon joining the Warriors, he will take on a key role at center, significantly easing the defensive burden on Green and Al Horford inside.Porzingis and Horford also previously played together on the Celtics, winning a championship with the Green team.