The Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in Jonathan Kuminga, who is an unrestricted free agent after the Hawks declined his $24.3 million team option earlier this summer. He's certainly worth the interest, but not in the sense that the Bucks need to cave to overpay to get him and dole out a contract that doesn't match his value.
After all, the Warriors let him go, and the Hawks are at least willing to consider doing the same, though as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Wednesday, he can still return to Atlanta.
It'd be unfair to hold how things went down in Golden State against Kuminga, as it wasn't a place where he had the support to grow and succeed, but that doesn't mean he's not without his flaws.
He's worth taking a flier on as an athletic wing who is a good defender and can be a true scoring option for the Bucks, so he has the tools, but can he piece them together consistently while contributing to winning basketball?
The fact that you can't answer that question with a resounding yes should make Milwaukee wary.
Bucks have to proceed carefully with Kuminga interest
Milwaukee can't pay Kuminga based on what he and the team think he could be, which is reportedly the kind of contract he's looking for. Jovan Buha, who covers the Lakers, said on Tuesday that he has heard the wing is looking for a deal that is worth closer to $20 million.
It'd be hard for the Bucks to justify meeting that price for an unproven player who has been passed on by one team and could soon be passed on by another.
By no means is this saying that Milwaukee should step away from its interest in Kuminga, as he's worth taking a flier on, just not in such a risky way. He'll turn 24 shortly before the season starts, so he could grow with the Bucks as they move in a different direction and establish a new culture.
The thing is, though, they can't talk themselves into that version of him until they see it for themselves. Kuminga doesn't have a large enough sample size to show that from his days with the Warriors, and while he had impressive stretches with the Hawks to end last season, he played only 16 regular-season games and six playoff games.
If there is a way for Milwaukee and Kuminga to agree on a deal that makes sense for both sides, the Bucks should go for it. If not, though, they need to know when to step away.
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