The Lakers keep circling Jonathan Kuminga, but the real question isn’t whether he can help. It’s whether Los Angeles wants to pay the price - and whether Kuminga is willing to take on the kind of role that would make the fit work.
Lakers insider Jovan Buha laid out the case plainly. Kuminga has the tools the Lakers are hunting for: a starting wing or forward who can guard threes and fours, rebound, bring athleticism, and add some offensive pop. But Buha also made it clear that the deal starts getting dicey once the numbers climb.
“This is the most important question for the Lakers at the moment,” Buha began. “Is Jonathan Kuminga worth it?
Is he worth all this trouble? Kuminga is available.
He is attainable, and he does fit the Lakers’ need for that starting wing/forward who could defend threes and fours, rebound at a certain level, bring a certain level of athleticism, and bring a certain element of offensive dynamism.”
“Now, whether he’s the right answer is totally dependent on two things,” Buha added. “What does the contract look like?
I think once you’re getting into that $17-$18+ million range, that’s a ton of risk on the Lakers’ side. If you’re able to keep it at $15 million or less, that’s the area I would be pushing for if I’m the Lakers.”
That contract debate has been the sticking point between the Lakers and Kuminga’s camp, with talks reportedly stalling over demands. The forward’s talent is obvious, but the price Los Angeles would have to meet may be too steep for a team trying to stay disciplined.
Buha’s bigger concern, though, went beyond the money. For him, the key issue is whether Kuminga would actually embrace the job the Lakers need from him.
“The second thing, and arguably the most important thing, is Kuminga’s mindset, his commitment to playing the role the Lakers need from him. They need him to be their Aaron Gordon, their Andrew Wiggins.
Doing the dirty work despite having the skill and talent to do more. More so, buying into that role.”
“I don’t know if he is ready to commit to that role. You see the upside, and it’s high.
But you also see the downside, and it’s relatively low. If he’s not really defending, if he’s not rebounding, if he’s not making the extra pass, if he’s not playing team basketball, then it’s just the wrong fit.”
That’s the crux of it. Kuminga is a gifted 23-year-old with real upside, but the Lakers don’t need him to chase individual numbers.
They need buy-in. They need the version of him that does the work without needing the spotlight.
Last year’s offseason made it clear Kuminga wants to be an All-Star, and that ambition doesn’t exactly line up neatly with a Gordon-style assignment. The numbers from last season tell the same story: 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 33.3% from three. Those are solid production marks for a rotation player, but not the stat line of someone expecting to be the centerpiece.
The problem for Kuminga is simple. If he were to land in Los Angeles, he would likely be playing behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, which means fewer touches and fewer chances to pad his scoring. That kind of setup could make it harder for him to chase the bigger individual goals he’s clearly after.
So the Lakers are left weighing a familiar kind of gamble: talent versus fit, upside versus commitment, cost versus control. There’s a path where Kuminga becomes a valuable piece if he accepts the role. There’s also a path where the fit never really takes.
And with the Timberwolves now emerging as another suitor, the Lakers may not have the luxury of waiting around to find out.
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