In essence, the situation between Los Angeles Lakers and Jonathan Kuminga remains utterly unchanged despite blockbuster deal that sent Peyton Watson to Cleveland on Wednesday night. The move only served to weaken Kuminga’s hand in free agency, as the Cavaliers would have been an ideal landing spot had Watson gone to Milwaukee, the Clippers or stayed in Denver. With Watson filling the small-forward hole for the Cavs, attention turns to Kuminga.
And nothing has changed, really, from the Lakers’ perspective. They could arrange a sign-and-trade with the Hawks, who still have Kuminga’s rights, but Atlanta’s position has not changed: There’s nothing on the Lakers’ roster the Hawks want, and the question of whether two future second-rounders and on first-round pick swap is enough of an enticement to push a deal over the finish line is questionable, at best.
If it was, the Hawks may have already agreed to a Kuminga S&T by now.
Lakers Options Remain Limited
One of the major hang-ups here is a three-way logjam among what Kuminga wants to be paid, what teams want to pay Kuminga and what teams like the Lakers can actually pay him under league rules.
There just is not money out there for Kuminga, and the fact that the Clippers and Hornets used up cap space as facilitators in the Watson deal means they won’t be able to facilitate a Kuminga deal. That gives a potential sign-and-trade even less flexibility.
There is still a potential for a Bucks sign-and-trade, and that would be Kuminga’s best chance at a payday. But the Bucks have the same problem as the Lakers–do the Hawks want any of their players, and if not, where can they find a third team to unload them?
Lakers Made Jonathan Kuminga His Best Offer
There is also a question of years. The Lakers made Kuminga the best offer he has gotten this summer, the two-year, $20 million deal that would have allowed him to build his value, opt out and go back to free agency next summer. The $10 million per year figure was too low for Kuminga. He wanted more like $20-25 million per year.
Now, though, if Kuminga gets a new contract through a sign-and-trade, it’s going to fall well short of $20 million per year. It would be more like $15 million per year, and he would be locked into it for three years. And that’s only if he can somehow find the teams willing to engage in a sign-and-trade which, as we’ve said, is getting less and less likely.
Jonathan Kuminga Facing Bargain Contract
Kuminga probably won’t take a minimum contract, though that remains the only way for him to land with the Lakers without a sign-and-trade and a three-year contract he will view as undervalued. A one-year deal for about $6 million from the Timberwolves could be the result of all this, too.
But before the Watson trade, and NBA executive pointed out how narrow Kuminga’s options are.
He said: “I think he would like to play for the Lakers and they’d like to have him, but I know they–and a lot of teams–have already told him, ‘Look, this is what we can do,’ so he has all the information. The money, the cap space, it has been spent. He’s not waiting for anything new out there, because there is nothing new that’s gonna happen. So, he is stuck. But he is entitled to take as much time as he wants.”
Now, his options are narrower.
Lakers’ Jonathan Kuminga Leverage Takes Major Turn After Massive Trade