The Los Angeles Lakers’ chase for Jonathan Kuminga may be getting close to the point where something actually happens.
For more than a month, the Lakers have been locked in a battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the former NBA champion, and the fit in Los Angeles is easy to see. The team has been building a younger core around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and Kuminga has been viewed as the kind of addition that could slide into that group.
One recent wrinkle could help the Lakers’ case. Cleveland seems to be turning some of its attention elsewhere.
“The Cavaliers are now showing sign-and-trade interest in Peyton Watson, per Ramona Shelburne. James Harden remains unsigned, which allows Cleveland flexibility to add a starting wing like Watson or Jonathan Kuminga," NBA reporter Evan Sidery posted.
With Cleveland also looking at Watson, Los Angeles may have a clearer path to Kuminga than it did before. The Lakers have already put a contract proposal in front of Kuminga and his camp.
“The Lakers have offered Jonathan Kuminga a contract via sign-and-trade that would pay him around $45 million. Los Angeles is willing to send Jarred Vanderbilt alongside draft capital to the Hawks for Kuminga, who must sign at least a three-year deal in sign-and-trade agreements," Sidery wrote.
The momentum around the talks has picked up in recent days, and there is increasing belief that a deal could come together soon. Lakers insider Marc Jacobs reported that Kuminga could be ready to sign as soon as this weekend.
“The Lakers and Hawks are reportedly working through a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade. Kuminga and his camp want Los Angeles, with sources believing a deal could be reached by the end of the weekend, per The Athletic,” Jacobs wrote.
That puts the Lakers closer to the end of a month-long pursuit for a player they believe fits next to Reaves and Doncic. Still, the Atlanta Hawks remain part of the equation, and they have not made the sign-and-trade process simple. Any final agreement still needs their approval before Kuminga’s future gets sorted out.
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Hawks Could See A Jonathan Kuminga Decision Very Differently
A hypothetical Jonathan Kuminga move has been framed as the kind of deal that could look very different from Atlantas side than it does on paper for Minnesota. The pitch centers on the Hawks weighing a younger, high-upside piece against the kind of roster balance and cap flexibility that often shapes offseason decisions, with the broader conversation focused on how each team would try to fit its next move into a longer-term plan.
For Atlanta, the appeal would not just be about adding help in the present, but about deciding whether a swing on Kuminga matches the way the roster is being built. The unanswered question is how the Hawks would value the return package against that upside, and whether a transaction built around player fit and future assets would be enough to make them take a different view of the same opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Suddenly Hold The Leverage In Jonathan Kuminga Bidding
Minnesotas reported interest in Jonathan Kuminga only adds another layer to what has become a crowded free-agent chase, with the Lakers and Cavaliers also in the mix. The Timberwolves make some basketball sense here, since their need for a versatile forward lines up with what Kuminga brings, but they are not operating with a lot of flexibility on the back end of any deal.
For the Hawks, the key detail is leverage. Any path for Minnesota to land Kuminga appears to run through Atlanta in a sign-and-trade, and that gives the Hawks a say in how this pursuit unfolds. The Lakers are still viewed as the most aggressive suitor, but the moving parts around Atlantas involvement are a reminder that this race is far from simple. [Read more 🡒]