The Los Angeles Lakers still need one more starting-caliber wing in order to call their offseason complete. However, who that player is remains unclear, as there aren’t many of that archetype available on the free agent or trade market. No name has been said more than unrestricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, who is having a tough time getting the contract he wants for the second straight summer.
The Lakers and Kuminga seem to be a natural fit. L.A. needs athleticism on the wings, and Kuminga wants to play a high-impact role. However, the Lakers no longer have cap space and must sign-and-trade for Kuminga, meaning they must give him at least a three-year contract. The Atlanta Hawks — or a third team — would also need to be willing to take back salary. All of those things have reportedly stalled progress despite the Lakers liking Kuminga, via Anthony Slater of ESPN:
It has reached the second month of what has become a second consecutive prolonged Kuminga free agency process. The Lakers met with Kuminga in the early hours of free agency, pitching him on a high-minutes role for a high-profile fringe contender in desperate need of athletic help on the wing. The opportunity appealed to Kuminga, but the sign-and-trade contract offer (years, money, package going back to Atlanta) didn’t satisfy all sides. The Lakers remain interested in him, league sources said, but movement toward a deal has remained stalled for weeks.
That has left others still calling about Kuminga’s availability on shorter-term deals that would get him back to free agency quicker. Two suitors — the Cavaliers and Timberwolves — have appealing cases because of their need for a wing in a contending environment. But there is yet to be an alluring enough offer for Kuminga to sign, so the summer waiting game rolls on for a second straight summer.
The Lakers may need to pivot if they want to land a starting-caliber wing, because a deal for Kuminga seems to have too many moving pieces that are unrelenting in their prices. Kuminga has been rumored to want a deal north of $20 million per year, something the Lakers likely can’t or don’t want to give.
The Hawks — or most teams for that matter — likely don’t want the contract of Jarred Vanderbilt, making a trade to get to that $20 million figure very difficult. However, there is a long way to go before the season begins, meaning there is ample time to figure out a deal.
Lakers believe having Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves made free agent pitches easy
While L.A. is still trying to make final moves, their major work was all done on July 1, when they agreed to terms with Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton. They since have added Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams.
L.A. believes the reason they were able to get all of these guys in free agency — their preferred targets — is because of the ability to sell Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as a star duo.
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