Jonathan Kuminga’s market keeps shrinking, and that has pushed the Lakers closer to the front of the line.
The latest shakeup came last week when the big sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson finally went through. That move knocked two other teams that had been tied to Kuminga - the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Clippers - further out of the picture. Cleveland is now likely done after landing Watson, while the Clippers, despite having a little more financial flexibility than the Cavaliers, also took on Max Strus.
That leaves Los Angeles as the team most closely linked to Kuminga. The Lakers had serious discussions with him in early July, and at one point it looked like something might get done.
Instead, nothing materialized. Since then, both the Hawks and the Lakers have remained in the same positions, and with fewer suitors left standing, Los Angeles looks like the strongest option and maybe even the favorite.
From Atlanta’s side, though, this is all about leverage. The Hawks are only going to sign-and-trade Kuminga if the return helps them. They are not going to do it just to send him where he wants to go.
That’s where the structure of the deal becomes tricky. If Atlanta can avoid taking back any long-term money from the Lakers - something like the previously rumored Jarred Vanderbilt package Los Angeles had offered - and bring in a third team, then a deal could actually work for the Hawks.
In that kind of setup, Atlanta could land a trade exception and use it either before the trade deadline or sometime next offseason to bring in another player. A multi-team deal could also help the Hawks clear salary and get down to the regular-season roster limit of 15.
There are a few names that could get moved in that kind of arrangement, including Corey Kispert or Buddy Hield, though the Hawks might have to attach draft capital to move Kispert.
One piece the Lakers could put on the table is a 2032 first-round pick swap. That could end up being useful later on.
If the Lakers still have Luka Doncic, the swap probably won’t mean much. But if he leaves - and you never know - that pick suddenly becomes a real asset for Atlanta.
Still, if Los Angeles had something the Hawks truly wanted, this would probably already be done.
That’s the problem for the Lakers. Whether it’s players on the roster or draft picks, they do not appear to have much that would make Atlanta eager to say yes. The names Los Angeles seems most willing to move are Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, or Jake LaRavia, but those pieces do not solve much for the Hawks, especially with Atlanta already over the roster limit.
So while a deal could make sense if more teams get involved, a straight two-team trade does not sound likely. The Lakers don’t have enough that would excite the Hawks, and Atlanta is not going to move Kuminga unless it sees a clear benefit.
For now, Kuminga’s free agency keeps rolling with no clear ending. If a deal does come together, the Lakers still look like the most likely destination.
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