After several weeks, former Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made his decision in free agency, signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, L.A. currently find themselves without a starting-caliber wing and their ideal fit for that spot was unrestricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga.
Despite rumors connecting both parties to what felt like an inevitable partnership, Kuminga appeared to be holding out to see what James would do before making his own decision with the Cleveland Cavaliers being another potential suitor with the Lakers. Now that the all-time leading scorer landed in Philadelphia, the Cavaliers appear to have a more appealing sign-and-trade offer for the Atlanta Hawks than the Lakers, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
League sources, who spoke on the condition anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, said what the Lakers are prepared to offer Atlanta in a trade is underwhelming, whereas Cleveland has potentially more appealing trade pieces.
Doing a sign-and-trade with the Hawks is the only path to acquiring Kuminga for the Lakers, as his camp wanted a higher salary than they and other teams can offer. It appears that signs are pointing to Cleveland acquiring the former lottery pick and his agent confirmed the mutual interest:
“Jonathan likes the Cavs, likes (coach) Kenny Atkinson, and (star) Donovan Mitchell likes him,” Turner, Kuminga’s agent, said in a brief interview. Turner said Kuminga is fond of Cleveland generally and spent two months training there last summer.”
If Kuminga were not to land with Los Angeles, it begs the question of who else the Lakers front office could target as a starter. The other option would be a stopgap piece in-house like Ziaire Williams or Matisse Thybulle.
However, the Lakers eventually need to make some sort of move as they currently have 16 guaranteed contracts on their books. For L.A., Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht are two players consistently rumored in potential trades, but they do not have much value, if at all, around the league.
When Kuminga opted to wait out for James, it felt like a play to get money elsewhere and Cleveland may end up being that team.
Lakers reportedly ‘keep calling’ Jonathan Kuminga
This free agency class was fairly weak in terms of potential wing options with Kuminga essentially as the best remaining forward available. Over these several weeks, the Lakers have made their interest in Kuminga well known with hopes of signing him to a contract.
More details have surfaced, with general manager Rob Pelinka seemingly always keeping in contact with the former lottery pick as L.A. looks to bolster its frontcourt a bit more before this season kicks off in October.
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