The Lakers’ chase for Jonathan Kuminga has reached a tense point, with the latest reporting suggesting Los Angeles may no longer be the only serious landing spot in the mix.
Kuminga, who is 23 and already has an NBA championship on his résumé, has been on the Lakers’ radar since the start of free agency, after LeBron James told the organization he would not be returning. With Los Angeles in need of a starting power forward, the fit has been obvious from the start.
Momentum had been building toward a deal, and one report said the Lakers were now in a strong position to get it done.
“Significant momentum is now building towards Jonathan Kuminga soon finalizing a contract with the Lakers. With the Cavaliers choosing Peyton Watson instead, Kuminga's options are now limited to Los Angeles or the Timberwolves. Kuminga's preferred landing spot is the Lakers," NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.
The Cavaliers’ decision to trade for Peyton Watson seemed to simplify the picture even more for Los Angeles. At that point, Kuminga’s path appeared to narrow, and the Lakers looked like they were sitting in the best spot.
“Jonathan Kuminga landing with the Los Angeles Lakers seems inevitable at this point. On Tuesday, it appeared Kuminga had three suitors remaining in his free-agent sweepstakes: the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers,” New York Post’s Valentina Martinez wrote.
But ESPN’s Brian Windhorst added a wrinkle that the Lakers would rather not hear: Minnesota may still have a real shot.
“Watch the Wolves in the next couple days, I do think there's a possibility of Demar Derozan signing with the Nuggets. Shoutout to Chris Haynes.
It's still open, there's still a window for the Lakers to do a Kuminga sign and trade. A sign and trade has to be 3 years.
Now that these other doors are closing, the Timberwolves can close that deal and sign Kuminga,” Windhorst said.
If Kuminga does end up in Minnesota, he would slide into a lineup that already has plenty of talent and could take over as the starting power forward. He would also get the chance to play alongside Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball.
For the Lakers, though, this is not the clean finish they had been hoping for. After growing increasingly confident about their position, they now have another team pressing into the race, and Minnesota’s push could force Los Angeles to keep waiting on its long pursuit of the former Warriors champion.
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