The Los Angeles Lakers have found themselves at the forefront of the potential race to acquire Jonathan Kuminga in free agency. After the Atlanta Hawks declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million player option, the Lakers and the Cavaliers were named among the potential suitors interested in landing Kuminga.
Now, according to Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times, the Lakers are hoping to land Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year, $20 million contract.
“The Lakers now have a 14-man roster and have room for another player. Jonathan Kuminga is a player the Lakers are after, according to people with knowledge of the situation who said LA is looking at a two-year, $20-million deal for Kuminga,” wrote Turner.
Anthony Slater of ESPN reported that Rob Pelinka has been in constant touch with Kuminga’s representation. Moreover, Slater initially also reported that the Lakers are offering a direct starter role to replace Jake LaRavia in their potential starting lineup for the 2026-27 season.
Kuminga ended the 2025-26 season averaging 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists while going 46.3% from the floor and 33.3% from beyond the arc. As a defensive-minded athletic wing, Kuminga is exactly the type of player that the Lakers need.
Earlier, sources claimed that the intention of the Hawks in declining his team option was to help Kuminga find a better landing spot and facilitate a deal through a sign-and-trade eventually.
Therefore, the figure we are looking at in the rumors seems to be what they can offer him for a free agency signing without having to give up any assets. However, the Lakers could create room to make a much better offer to Kuminga if they are interested in the sign-and-trade proposition.
According to Aron Cohen, the founder of the Lakers All Day Every Day fan club, the Lakers will need to trade a combination of players from Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia and Dalton Knecht, combined with one of the second-round picks they acquired while offloading Deandre Ayton in a sign-and-trade deal with the Hawks.
To be fair, the Lakers are looking to replace LeBron James in the starting lineup, which makes them more desperate than the Hawks, and this would give the Hawks significant leverage in the negotiations if they decide to talk about a potential sign-and-trade deal.
If the intention was to help Kuminga find a better fit while acquiring some assets in the process, there is no team out there that needs a starting-caliber forward more than the Lakers.
But let’s be honest, if Kuminga was expecting a $25 million per year contract in last season’s free agency, he will certainly not accept a contract worth $10 million in annual average value just a few months later.
The Lakers are currently projected to be $13.8 million under the first apron cap, and the only way they can create more space to make a competitive offer is to trade away a combination of the players mentioned above.
I think they should do it if they can manage to avoid trading away the draft pick. But if that’s not possible, then maybe Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office must reconsider their options, as they have very few tradable draft assets over the next seven years.
Do you think the Lakers are so interested in Kuminga that they would make such a move? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
