Jonathan Kuminga’s free agency has turned into one of the summer’s most complicated storylines, and the list of possible landing spots keeps shifting. The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to the 23-year-old for months, the Cleveland Cavaliers remain in the mix, and now Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale has floated a different outcome entirely: Boston.
The Lakers’ interest has been there from the start. NBA reporter Evan Sidery noted that “There is mutual free agent interest between Jonathan Kuminga and the Lakers, per Jovan Buha. Los Angeles continues to work behind the scenes to secure Kuminga’s commitment as their new wing addition,” while the team has also been eager to slot him into an offense with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Right now, though, the Lakers and Cavaliers are viewed as the most likely destinations, with sign-and-trade scenarios in play. SI’s Jackson Caudell wrote that “The Lakers and Cavaliers still seem like the most likely landing spots for Kuminga, likely by way of sign-and-trade. The Wolves could be a darkhorse if he wants to take a pay cut, as I don't believe Minnesota will want to acquire him via sign-and-trade, and they are the closest of these teams to getting to the NBA Finals,”
Favale’s case for Boston comes down to the price and the upside. “Whether Jonathan Kuminga belongs here has little to do with his value as a player.
We have yet to see him deliver complementary offense, rebounding and defense for an entire season on top of his from-scratch proclivities, but the physical tools and semi-extended stretches of highest-percentile actualization remain tantalizing. Potential cost is the only barrier for entry.
He could be someone that gets more than the $6.1 million mini MLE, particularly if the Atlanta Hawks are willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade,” Favale wrote.
Boston would be looking for another important piece to pair with Jayson Tatum after trading Jaylen Brown, and Kuminga would give the Celtics a young, athletic forward with room to grow. He was on a $46 million contract last season, and if Boston were to land him, the appeal is obvious: more talent now, and another long-term building block if his development keeps moving in the right direction.
The Celtics would also be entering a crowded Eastern Conference, which makes every addition matter a little more. For Boston, Kuminga would not just be a swing for the future. He could be a meaningful part of the starting lineup right away.
In Other News...
Celtics Are Back In The East Race For One Big Reason
The Celtics are back in the East conversation largely because they found a way to address the kind of frontcourt issue that can quietly cap a teams ceiling in the postseason. Adding Mitchell Robinson gives Boston another layer of interior presence, and for a team trying to stay in the mix with the conferences deeper contenders, that kind of move can matter just as much as a splashier name. In a season where several clubs are being floated as dark horse threats, the Celtics fit the profile of a team with enough talent to be taken seriously again.
Boston is hardly alone in that category. The broader league picture includes Minnesotas new-look ceiling with LaMelo Ball, Detroits rise with Cade Cunningham playing at an MVP level, and Indiana getting Tyrese Haliburton back from injury, all of which help explain why the East and West could both feel more open than expected. The Spurs surprise run to the 2026 NBA Finals is the reminder hanging over all of it: once the season starts, the teams nobody circles in advance can become the ones everyone else has to chase. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Fans Have Every Reason To Debate This NBA Cup Draw
The NBA has already started laying out pieces of the 2026-27 calendar, and for Celtics fans, the early read is a familiar one: a season that will ask plenty of Boston before the games even start to matter in the standings. The leagues partial schedule includes an opening-night matchup with the Pistons and a Christmas Day slate featuring the Heat and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the first real debate for Celtics watchers may come in the Emirates NBA Cup, where Boston landed in Group C with the Wizards, Hawks, Hornets and Bulls.
Group play begins on Oct. 30, and on paper it gives Boston a mix of rebuilding clubs and teams that have spent the summer trying to sharpen their edges. Washington, Charlotte and Chicago all come with their own roster questions, while Atlanta remains the most recognizable obstacle in the group. It is the sort of draw that invites instant arguments about who has the clearest path and who might spoil it, and for Celtics fans, the intrigue is less about the bracket itself than whether this set of opponents will turn out to be manageable or more annoying than it looks right now. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Just Added Real Heat To Celtics Christmas Showdown
Giannis Antetokounmpo has a way of turning already-big games into something sharper, and now his new setting in Miami only adds another layer to an old Celtics-Heat rivalry that never really needs much help. Bostons Christmas Day matchup with the Heat was already going to draw attention, but the presence of a player with Antetokounmpos profile and track record gives the meeting a different kind of edge, the sort that usually comes with playoff-level grudges and a little extra noise.
The comments also fit the broader history between these teams, which has become one of the leagues most familiar sources of tension. For the Celtics, it is one more reminder that even a holiday showcase can carry real stakes when the opponent knows the rivalry, embraces it, and now has a star in the middle of it willing to publicly lean into the moment. [Read more 🡒]