The Los Angeles Lakers remain in a death stare with the best remaining free agent on the market, former Warriors and Hawks wing Jonathan Kuminga, who just might be the missing piece to a rotation that is severely lacking in players who can man the power forward spot. Kuminga is not a natural power forward, of course, but in today’s NBA he can masquerade as one. Considering the Lakers’ weakness at the spot, that will have to be good enough.
Certainly, the Lakers have put in the time on Kuminga. Their interest stretches back a month, and they held off on some transactions so that they could offer Kuminga a two-year, $20 million contract with a player option that would allow him to return to the free-agent market next summer. He rejected that.
Now, Kuminga is waiting on a sign-and-trade that may or may not happen–the Hawks would have to agree, and they’d likely require a third team, which is no easy feat. The remainder of the Lakers’ offseason is wrapped up in his decision, but it is fair to ask: Is Jonathan Kuminga worth the aggravation at this point?
Lakers Need a Starting-Caliber Player
On his latest “Buha’s Block” podcast, Lakers insider Jovan Buha looked at the question of a potential Kuminga signing and noted that Kuminga does have a lot of attributes that the Lakers typically like.
“Right now, the thing with Kuminga is that Kuminga is available, he is attainable and he does fit the Lakers’ need for that starting forward who can defend 3s and 4s, rebounds at a certain level, bring a certain level of offensive dynamism and there is just a talent/skill component to this where Kuminga checks that box,” Buha said.
“I also think if you look at the Lakers and some of their moves, one of the things the front office has consistently been fond of is former lottery picks, guys with a certain pedigree, guys with certain name value and recognition and guys who can put the ball in the bucket.”
Jonathan Kuminga: Too Expensive, Too Stubborn?
The problems with Kuminga, though, are obvious. He is a player that the Warriors and Hawks both gave up on because he would not adapt to the role he was asked to play. Would it be any different with the Lakers? Especially if he demanded a sizable payout?
Said Buha: “Whether he is the right answer is dependent on two things. First, what does the contract look like? I think once you’re getting into that $17 million-plus, $18 million plus contract range, that is a ton of risk on the Lakers’ side. …
“The second thing, maybe the more important thing than his salary, is Kuminga’s mindset, his commitment to playing a role that the Lakers need from him. Which, I have made the point, they need him to be their Aaron Gordon, they need him to be their Andrew Wiggins. … I don’t know if he is ready to commit to that role. There is a mystery box component to Kuminga where you see the upside, and it is high. But you see the downside and it is relatively low.”
Lakers Get Warning on Jonathan Kuminga ‘Downside’