The Los Angeles Lakers probably can’t get Jonathan Kuminga into the building by any means other than a sign-and-trade, but his salary demands are going to make any agreement complicated.
Rohan Roman of ON SI authored a three-team proposal on Saturday, July 18 involving the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, in which Kuminga ultimately signs a four-year deal worth $85.5 million before landing in L.A.
The Lakers would also receive big man Jericho Sims from Milwaukee while sending Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt back to the Bucks. Los Angeles would ship two second-round picks in 2031 and 2033 to the Hawks as well.
Atlanta would net those two Lakers’ second-rounders and Myles Turner from Milwaukee in the deal. The Bucks would add Vanderbilt and LaRavia along with a top-five protected first-round pick in 2029 from Atlanta and two second-rounders from the Hawks (2027 and 2029).
“Kuminga would be able to pop in L.A. in a way that was never going to happen in Atlanta,” Roman wrote. “Kuminga does put a lot of pressure on the rim and he’s shown signs of being more viable as a defender. He’s entering his age-24 season and the Lakers will be paying him as he’s likely entering his prime.”
Jonathan Kuminga Can Provide Lakers With Athleticism on Wing
GettyJonathan Kuminga, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Lakers cleared out most of their tradable draft assets in the deal that brought Walker Kessler over from the Utah Jazz earlier in free agency, and the proposed trade for Kuminga would move out most of the rest of them.
That said, Kuminga can offer the Lakers something they do not currently have on their reconstructed roster and something they badly need, which is more athleticism at the wing position.
Kuminga is not a renowned defender, but he showed flashes down the stretch of last regular season in Atlanta and during the Hawks’ first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks.
“The numbers bear out Kuminga’s impact on defense,” Kevin Chouinard of NBA.com wrote of Kuminga’s playoff performance against the 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 not a good 3-point shooter, but he could serve as a lob threat and cutter getting easy looks at the rim alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Jericho Sims Could Serve as Backup Big Man for Lakers
GettyJericho Sims, formerly of the New York Knicks.
Sims, the Lakers’ other hypothetical acquisition in Roman’s proposed deal, is a five-year veteran who played a stint with the Knicks before joining the Bucks.
He has been a reserve for the vast majority of his time in the league, appearing in 258 total games and starting just 56 of those. Sims has averaged 3.1 points and 4.4 rebounds for his career, though his numbers were better last season at 5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest.
Sims is under contract for one more season on a two-year, $5.2 million agreement. He will play the upcoming campaign at 28 years old.
Lakers 3-Team Trade Pitch Nets Jonathan Kuminga on Eye-Popping Deal