The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to Jonathan Kuminga, but there is no reported agreement with the Atlanta Hawks.
Still, a hypothetical four-team trade proposal with the Hawks, Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies illustrates how Los Angeles could legally land the 23-year-old forward and why the price would bind the franchise to its Luka Doncic-era core for the next two seasons.
The Hypothetical Kuminga Trade
Getty The Los Angeles Lakers have coveted Jonathan Kuminga this offseason as their preferred wing to start alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler.
Lakers receive: Jonathan Kuminga on a three-year, $66.2 million sign-and-trade contract, beginning at $21 million in 2026-27
Hawks receive: A 2032 first-round pick swap with the Lakers and a $21 million trade exception
Nets receive: Jarred Vanderbilt
Grizzlies receive: Terance Mann, Jaden Hardy and the Lakers’ own 2033 second-round pick
This is a trade proposal, not reporting on negotiations or a pending transaction.
The proposed $21 million first-year salary is central to making the structure work. Atlanta would sign Kuminga and send him to the Lakers without taking back matching salary, creating a $21 million trade exception. The Hawks could use that exception for up to one year to acquire a player in a later deal without sending out salary.
For Los Angeles, Kuminga’s arrival works because Vanderbilt’s approximately $12.4 million salary and Hardy’s $6 million salary would leave. The Lakers would add about $2.6 million in salary, remain roughly $5.5 million below the first-apron hard cap triggered by the Walker Kessler sign-and-trade, and trim their standard roster from 16 players to 15.
Why the Lakers Can Offer Only a Pick Swap
The Hawks’ first-round compensation would have to be a 2032 pick swap, not an outright Lakers first-round pick.
Los Angeles cannot trade its 2032 first outright because Utah owns its 2031 and 2033 firsts. The Lakers also owe Memphis a top-four-protected 2027 first and Dallas their 2029 first, while Utah has swap rights in 2028 and 2030.
Trading the 2032 pick outright would leave Los Angeles without a first-round pick in 2031, 2032 and 2033, violating the Stepien Rule’s ban on teams being without first-rounders in consecutive future drafts.
A 2032 swap is legal because the Lakers would still receive Atlanta’s 2032 first-round pick if the Hawks elect to swap. It is Los Angeles’ lone available first-round trade asset and the central reason Atlanta could consider parting with Kuminga.
Why Each Team Would Say Yes
GettyJarred Vanderbilt of the Los Angeles Lakers in action during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on March 10, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Brooklyn is a natural destination for Vanderbilt. The Nets need his defense, rebounding and ability to cover multiple positions alongside Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr.
Memphis is already crowded at forward and center, making Hardy’s young scoring upside and Mann’s veteran versatility more useful than another frontcourt player. The Lakers’ own 2033 second-round pick gives the Grizzlies an incentive to absorb the contracts.
For Los Angeles, Kuminga supplies explosive athleticism, transition pressure and switchable size. His perimeter shooting and decision-making remain works in progress, but his age and physical gifts make him a plausible long-term fit beside Doncic, Austin Reaves and Kessler.
The Lakers’ Cost of Going All In
If the Lakers complete this hypothetical deal, they would not regain access to an outright tradable first-round pick until immediately after the 2028 NBA Draft, when their 2035 first becomes eligible under the league’s seven-year rule.
Los Angeles could offer a 2034 pick swap after the 2027 draft but could not trade that pick outright because Utah owns its 2033 first. The Lakers must keep a 2034 first to comply with the Stepien Rule.
The Lakers could still trade contracts, second-round picks and smaller swap rights before then. But without a clean first-rounder to headline another major offer, they would be largely tied to the roster built around Doncic, Reaves and Kessler and, in this proposal, Kuminga.
That is what makes this a defining bet. Kuminga would not simply be another Lakers addition. He would be the player Los Angeles chooses to build with until its draft flexibility returns.
Lakers 4-Team Trade Proposal That Could Land Jonathan Kuminga