The Los Angeles Lakers believe that Jonathan Kuminga could prove the final piece of their roster puzzle after a busy week of free agency, but the cost is going to be significant.
L.A. has been unable to get to a number Kuminga finds acceptable, with the best offer to date coming in at two years and $20 million total, per the Los Angeles Times. The Lakers’ clearest path to upping the ante is trading some of the expendable pieces on their roster. However, that could cost the team the minimal draft assets still at its disposal.
Tyler Watts of FanSided on Tuesday, July 7 pitched an all-in trade, or potentially multiple trades, that would clear $22.6 million in base salary by dealing three players.
“The Lakers have to free up space by trading their three second-round draft picks and lone first-round swap to dump Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy and Dalton Knecht,” Watts asserted. “This is a risky strategy. Los Angeles would have no path to upgrading [its] roster at the trade deadline. [The team] would be all-in on [Rob] Pelinka’s new version built around Luka Doncic.”
Jonathan Kuminga Can Address Significant Need for Athletic Wing Defender in Los Angeles
GettyJonathan Kuminga, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks.
Kuminga would add much needed length and athleticism to the forward-wing position, which appears the biggest weakness in the Lakers’ new roster construction.
The 23-year-old forward is not an elite NBA defender, though he has the versatility to excel on that side of the floor when fully bought in, which he showed during his stint with the Atlanta Hawks last season.
“The numbers bear out Kuminga’s impact on defense,” Kevin Chouinard of NBA.com wrote during Atlanta’s first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. “With him on the floor, the Hawks have yielded fewer points, held the Knicks to worse shooting, gotten more defensive rebounds and forced more turnovers.”
Kuminga is also a capable scorer, averaging 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22.1 minutes per night across his five-year career (294 appearances, 98 starts). He has averaged 16.1 points and 15.3 points per game during the two seasons in which he has attempted double-digit shots on a nightly basis.
And while he’s not a good enough 3-point shooter to garner attention from opposing defenses (33.2 percent for his career on 2.4 attempts, 34.6 percent last season on 3.3 attempts), Kuminga’s ability as a cutter and lob option alongside Doncic would allow for several easy buckets at the rim were he to pair with the superstar.
Jonathan Kuminga Would Likely Start for Lakers Next Season
GettyJonathan Kuminga, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Lakers have pitched Kuminga on exactly that, but thus far to no avail — primarily because the money is too far off his mark.
“The Lakers still hope to land Kuminga, who became a free agent when the Atlanta Hawks declined his $24.3 million team option on June 29,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater wrote Tuesday. “Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick met with Kuminga virtually the next day and pitched him on a vision of being a high-minutes wing next to Luka Doncic in a spacious on-court environment conducive to Kuminga’s skill set, league sources told ESPN.”
Los Angeles has one roster spot remaining after inking center Kevon Looney, and if the Lakers can up their number, they have earmarked that opening for Kuminga along with a likely spot in the starting lineup.
“Kuminga … [hasn’t] jumped at it, believing there are still avenues to better deals as the offseason dominoes continue to fall,” Slater added.
Pricey Lakers Trade Pitch Clears Path to Jonathan Kuminga