The Lakers’ lack of trade ammo keeps showing up, and Jonathan Kuminga is the latest reminder.
Los Angeles has been tied to Kuminga more than once, and he fits the kind of swing the team would love to make: a young player who could help right away and still grow into something bigger. But the path to getting him looks shaky, and the newest reporting says the Hawks are not eager to help the Lakers make it happen.
“Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga’s situation has gotten more complicated by the fact that the Lakers-his top possible destination-were not able to clear out extra cap space for him.
The Lakers can do a sign-and-trade with the Hawks for Kuminga, but Atlanta is not that interested in taking back LA’s junk. A sign-and-trade with the Cavs would be preferred by Atlanta,” Sean Deveney wrote.
That’s the problem for Los Angeles in a nutshell: not enough assets, not enough flexibility, and not much to offer in return. It’s hard to see a dramatic upgrade coming when the team is operating from that kind of position.
The Lakers did sign Ziaire Williams earlier in the week, and he belongs in the same general conversation as Kuminga when it comes to what Los Angeles is trying to add. Kuminga is seen on a different level, of course, but the overlap is obvious enough. Both are young wings who could matter for what the Lakers need now and later.
The question now is whether that move changes anything for Kuminga at all, or whether the Lakers are simply no longer in the mix for Atlanta’s young forward.
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