Los Angeles Lakers fans are totally over that guy. The opportunity to play for a major market, more money, Luka Doncic as a teammate … and he still said no?
Yes, Jonathan Kuminga still said no.
The Lakers are left having to search for other ways to address their starting power forward position. Although the 23-year-old Kuminga would have been a high upside addition to the roster, the free agent forward agreed to a two-year contract worth roughly $13 million.
So, what’s next for the Lakers? They still have two significant roster needs with just days to go before September rolls around.
The Expectation for the Lakers After Jonathan Kuminga Said No
According to Lakers insider Khobi Price, L.A.’s path forward for the rest of the offseason is not totally certain, but there is a chance the team looks to add more depth at needed areas.
“Without Kuminga, the answer to who’ll be their fifth starter is likely already on the team. Every other starting-caliber or pseudo starting-caliber wing/forward free agent for a team looking to contend in the playoffs has already been signed. Those types of players aren’t easy to trade for, and the Lakers lack the draft capital to credibly make a deal.”
Price also noted that if the Lakers make another roster move, there’s a good chance it will be for a big man.
“If they do make any additions to their roster before training camp starts in a month, it’d likely be big man depth behind Kessler and Kevon Looney, who they signed to a veteran’s minimum contract. They will still need to trim their roster by at least one player by the start of the regular season to become compliant with the league’s rules. Besides that, most of the Lakers’ major moves are behind them.”
Potential Wing Options for L.A.
After Kuminga signed with the Wolves, Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters rattled off three players the Lakers could go after.
“Having missed out on Kuminga, the Lakers will have to look elsewhere to finalize the roster. Some top free agent and trade targets for Los Angeles could be PJ Washington, De’Andre Hunter and Bruce Brown,” Peters wrote. “Washington is under contract with the Dallas Mavericks through the 2029-30 campaign, and his $19.8 million salary for the upcoming season might be a deterrent for the Lakers, but they could include a player like Jarred Vanderbilt to free up some salary cap space.”
Washington and Hunter are intriguing options, and both have the profile to deliver a significant wing upgrade for the Lakers. The problem is that both players are under contract with their respective teams — and those contracts aren’t cheap. For L.A. to land either, it’ll need to send out salaries to match either Washington’s nearly $20 million contract or Hunter’s roughly $25 million contract.
As for Brown, Lakers fans remember him well for all those timely 3-pointers he cashed in the team’s most recent Western Conference finals series against the Denver Nuggets.
Unlike Washington and Hunter, Brown is an unrestricted free agent and is perhaps the most intriguing player left on the market.
Brown, 30, appeared in all 82 games for the Nuggets last season and averaged 7.9 points per game while shooting nearly 39 percent from the 3-point line.
Report: Lakers’ Plans for Next Roster Move Revealed After Kuminga Rejection