Jonathan Kuminga’s free agency has turned into a waiting game, and the holdup is pretty clear: the contract length.
Nearly a month into the process, the young forward still hasn’t landed a new deal or a sign-and-trade out of Atlanta, even though there’s been plenty of interest. NBA insider Keith Smith said the sticking point is that Kuminga would need to sign a three-year contract to be moved in a sign-and-trade, but he wants a one-year deal if he has to take less money than he’s hoping for.
“The challenge with Kuminga is that if he’s gonna take less money than what he wants, then he only wants to do it for a year,” reported Keith Smith. “He doesn’t want to do a three-year deal, and in order to do a sign-and-trade, he would have to have a three-year contract.
That gets him stuck a little bit. He doesn’t want to be on a smaller contract that devalues himself.”
That creates a real problem for the Lakers, who have interest in Kuminga along with the Cavaliers. Los Angeles is willing to put together a package built around Jarred Vanderbilt and draft picks, and Smith said Atlanta would take that framework right now if Kuminga allowed it to happen.
“For the Hawks, they are ready to go for something centered around Jarred Vanderbilt and outgoing draft capital,” Smith added. “It sounds like it’s on Kuminga’s side, where he wants a little bit more money.”
The fit in Los Angeles is easy to see. Kuminga could step in as the starting small forward and slot alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler. Last season, he averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, numbers that would give the Lakers a needed scoring lift plus more depth and flexibility up front.
But the Lakers don’t appear sold on paying full price, especially after watching him get exiled and discarded from two teams in one season. Even so, with limited cap space, Kuminga may be the best option available to them right now, and he would raise their ceiling.
For now, though, the stalemate keeps dragging on. Kuminga may be willing to compromise on money, but not on both money and years, and until that changes, or another team comes in with the offer he wants, nobody knows when this will get done.
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