One of the more talked-about NBA rumor threads right now centers on a possible sign-and-trade that would send Jonathan Kuminga to the Los Angeles Lakers, with Jarred Vanderbilt as the key piece going back in a package to the Atlanta Hawks.
The appeal is easy to see from the Lakers’ side. Kuminga would give them a long, athletic wing to put next to Luka Doncic, and the fit with Doncic and Austin Reaves is obvious: more size, more switchable defense, more help covering for some of their weaknesses.
But the latest reporting from NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer on Bleacher Report suggests this idea is not exactly cruising toward the finish line.
“‘They would need Jarred Vanderbilt to be in the trade, and we know the Hawks have shown resistance to it…” said Stein, per Hoopshype.
“I also don't think the Lakers are just like trying to shop Jarred Vanderbilt around the league. I haven’t gotten that sense, either,” said Fischer.
That’s the current snag. Vanderbilt is the player the Hawks appear reluctant to include, even though it’s not immediately clear why the Lakers would be especially hesitant to move him if the return is right. He has dealt with frequent injury problems, and when he has been available, he has often had trouble locking down a steady spot in JJ Redick’s rotation because of his offensive limitations.
Fischer added that if this deal falls apart, Kuminga still has other possibilities.
“…if that deal doesn’t come to a fruition, Kuminga does have several other options on the table including going back to Atlanta.”
Kuminga was traded to the Hawks from the Golden State Warriors last season and had an up and down tenure in Atlanta. For now, his next NBA stop is still up in the air.
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Another Lakers Wing Target Just Slipped Away Again
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For the Lakers, it is another near miss in a search that has become familiar, especially when the player in question brings the kind of length and energy that can fit around stars. Oubre arrives with a track record from Golden State and Philadelphia and a reputation as a wing who can change the look of a rotation, but the bigger question for Los Angeles is how many more of those targets will keep slipping away before the roster picture finally settles. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Sent A Message About LeBron's Future After Luka
The Lakers offseason has made their direction pretty clear, even without anyone saying it out loud. After landing Luka Doncic, the front office has leaned into a younger core built around Doncic and Austin Reaves, and the moves since then have only reinforced that shift. Reaves big extension stood out as the clearest signal, while the addition of more young pieces gave the roster a different feel than the one LeBron James has carried for years.
Olden Polynice read that makeover as a sign the Lakers had already started planning for life beyond LeBron, and he also pointed to the current free-agent market as evidence that the veteran star no longer has the same leverage he once did. Even so, the idea that James is simply waiting for the right landing spot is not so simple, because multiple teams are still watching closely as his future remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]