The Lakers lost Jonathan Kuminga to Minnesota. The Timberwolves‘ win could now create an opportunity for Los Angeles.
NBA salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan floated a trade Thursday that would send Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy to Minnesota for Josh Green, giving the Lakers another potential avenue to address their need on the wing after Kuminga chose the Timberwolves.
The concept is more than a theoretical reshuffling. Minnesota has agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million contract with Kuminga, including a player option for the second season, according to ESPN. But the Timberwolves cannot officially fit the first-year salary into their current payroll without another transaction.
That is where the Lakers could enter the picture.
Josh Green Trade Could Solve Lakers’ Roster Crunch
Writing for Third Apron, Gozlan identified Green as the most logical Minnesota player to move.
The Timberwolves are roughly $4 million below the $221.7 million second apron with 13 players, according to Gozlan. Kuminga’s contract would start at $6.1 million using the taxpayer midlevel exception, meaning Minnesota would need to reduce its payroll before completing the signing.
Green, 25, is earning $14.7 million on an expiring contract. Gozlan wrote that Minnesota could trade him for at least one player as long as the transaction generates at least $2.1 million in payroll savings.
His Lakers proposal accomplishes exactly that.
Los Angeles would send Knecht and Hardy to Minnesota for Green. According to Gozlan, the transaction would keep the Lakers below their first-apron hard cap while reducing their roster from 16 standard contracts to the maximum 15. Minnesota would gain two possible rotation pieces while creating enough room to finalize Kuminga’s contract.
For the Lakers, Green would provide something their roster still needs after missing on Kuminga: a younger, athletic wing capable of defending across the perimeter.
There would be a cost.
Knecht remains an intriguing shooting prospect despite an uneven start to his NBA career, while Hardy gives Los Angeles another scoring guard. Packaging both for a player on an expiring contract would represent a clear bet on Green’s fit — and potentially his future in Los Angeles.
Timberwolves’ Kuminga Deal Creates Lakers Opportunity
The irony would be difficult to miss.
Kuminga chose Minnesota despite interest from the Lakers, with ESPN reporting that Los Angeles was among the teams that made offers before the 23-year-old forward settled on the shorter Timberwolves deal.
Now Minnesota’s victory in that pursuit could force it to help the Lakers solve their own roster problem.
Gozlan noted that the Timberwolves’ alternatives include moving Green elsewhere or, if no satisfactory trade develops, waiving and stretching his $14.7 million salary into approximately $4.9 million cap charges over three seasons. Minnesota would presumably prefer to extract value from Green rather than pay him not to play.
That creates leverage for teams willing to take his salary.
For Los Angeles, the appeal goes beyond getting to 15 players before opening night. Green is 6-foot-5, has playoff experience and could give coach JJ Redick another defensive option alongside a roster built around Luka Doncic.
He is not Kuminga, whose combination of size and athleticism made him a more ambitious target.
But after losing Kuminga to Minnesota, the Lakers suddenly have another potential route to a wing because the Timberwolves cannot officially add Kuminga without first creating room for him.
Sometimes losing one pursuit opens the door to the next.
Lakers Floated in 2-for-1 Trade After Losing Jonathan Kuminga to Timberwolves