The Lakers’ pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga may be getting a lot messier.
What looked like a straightforward sign-and-trade framework with the Atlanta Hawks could now spill into a multi-team setup, according to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer. The original idea had Los Angeles sending Jarred Vanderbilt and its lone tradeable first-round pick swap left over in 2032 in a deal for the former Golden State Warriors lottery pick. But that may not be enough to get it done with Atlanta alone.
“It's believed that the Lakers hope to package their lone tradeable first-round pick swap left over in 2032 along with Jarred Vanderbilt in a sign-and-trade proposal for Kuminga,” Stein wrote Friday. “Sources say Atlanta, however, has not considered taking back Vanderbilt in a deal that sends out Kuminga.”
“There are said to be multi-team scenarios that the Lakers could pursue that offload Vanderbilt to a different team than Atlanta. That would help the Lakers provide Kuminga with an offer richer than the two-year, $20 million deal that sources say they originally presented him.”
Atlanta’s reported reluctance to absorb Vanderbilt makes some sense based on what he’s been in Los Angeles. His value has been built on versatile defense, but the rest of his game hasn’t taken the step the Lakers likely hoped for when they brought him in.
Since arriving in 2023, Vanderbilt has shot under 33% from three-point range, and he hasn’t looked especially comfortable creating off the dribble either.
If Los Angeles needs a third team to make the math work for a sign-and-trade involving a promising young NBA champion in Kuminga, that’s a route the Lakers should be willing to explore. He’d likely slide into the starting lineup, and the team may need to be creative to get the deal across the finish line.
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Lakers Just Sent A Message About LeBron's Future After Luka
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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 🡒]