The Cleveland Cavaliers remain one of the NBA’s most aggressive suitors for Jonathan Kuminga, but completing a deal for the former Atlanta Hawks forward remains anything but straightforward.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported Wednesday on NBA Today that Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers continue to actively pursue Kuminga, though any path toward landing the 22-year-old forward hinges on a complicated sign-and-trade agreement.
“The Lakers and Cavaliers, I’m told, are continuing a pretty active pursuit for Jonathan Kuminga to bring him in,” Charania said. “He represents a high-level potential starting-caliber player for both of these teams.”
The biggest hurdle isn’t convincing Kuminga.
It’s getting the Hawks to cooperate.
“Whatever deal could happen will likely be a sign-and-trade,” Charania said. “So that’s where both the Lakers and Cavs would need the Hawks to work with them on a Kuminga deal. They would also have to get Kuminga on the same page with them all in a potential deal.”
The latest report reinforces Cleveland’s continued interest while highlighting just how difficult the negotiations have become with multiple parties needing to align before a deal can materialize.
James Harden Contract Looms Over Cavaliers’ Flexibility
GettyJames Harden is delaying his contract extension to give the Cleveland Cavaliers some financial flexibility to upgrade the roster even after they missed out on LeBron James.
Even before Charania’s latest update, Cleveland’s financial position had emerged as one of the biggest obstacles in the Kuminga sweepstakes.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported earlier this week that the Cavaliers have struggled to construct a sign-and-trade package that satisfies Atlanta while remaining compliant with the NBA’s first-apron restrictions.
Those cap limitations have become even more significant because Cleveland is still working toward finalizing a new contract with James Harden.
Charania reported Tuesday that both Harden’s representatives and the Cavaliers have intentionally delayed completing a new agreement to preserve as much roster flexibility as possible.
“Both of these sides, James Harden’s reps, the Cavaliers, they’ve been actually working the partnership to give the Cavaliers as much time as needed because of the flexibility to upgrade the roster, potentially use space to get players in to upgrade the team,” Charania said.
That patience gives president of basketball operations Koby Altman additional time to pursue Kuminga before locking in Harden’s next deal.
It does not, however, eliminate the Cavaliers’ cap challenges.
Cleveland Still Has Reasons for Optimism
Despite those financial hurdles, Cleveland remains one of the most logical landing spots for Kuminga.
The organization has longstanding connections with the athletic forward.
Kuminga trained in Cleveland last summer and previously played under Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson during Atkinson’s stint as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors. Donovan Mitchell has also reportedly supported Cleveland’s pursuit.
Those relationships have helped keep the Cavaliers firmly in the conversation despite the complicated salary-cap math.
Veterans Max Strus and Dennis Schröder have been viewed as potential salary-matching pieces, but Fischer previously reported that Cleveland has been reluctant to attach premium draft assets to those contracts simply to facilitate a deal.
Atlanta, meanwhile, has little incentive to help a conference contender without receiving meaningful compensation in return.
For now, the Cavaliers remain exactly where Charania described them: actively pursuing one of the top remaining free agents on the market.
Whether that pursuit ultimately succeeds may depend less on Cleveland’s interest than on whether Altman can construct a package that satisfies both the Hawks and Kuminga before the Cavaliers finalize Harden’s long-awaited contract.
Cavaliers’ Jonathan Kuminga Pursuit Gets Latest Insight From Shams