The Los Angeles Lakers have brought in a number of new players this offseason, but one name who hasn’t signed with them, despite being linked to the team all offseason, is Jonathan Kuminga. There is known to be mutual interest between the two sides, but they have been unable to agree to terms on a contract so far.
The Lakers are one of a handful of teams that are known to be pursuing Kuminga, but one of them just filled that role as the Cleveland Cavailers agreed to a deal for former Denver Nuggets wing Peyton Watson. And now with them out of the picture, NBA insider Jake Fischer feels pretty confident that Kuminga will sign with either the Lakers or Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason:
Fischer: Kuminga to LAL or Wolves is a lock pic.twitter.com/0jr2Skx1Sj
— 🎯 (@AustinThreeves) August 20, 2026
It has been previously reported that talks between Kuminga and the Lakers have stalled as of late, but the Lakers are reportedly still trying to bring him in.
“I know the Lakers would still love to acquire him,” Keith Smith said of the Lakers on an episode of the NBA Front Office Show. “That is certainly on the table still. But Kuminga is still holding out for a much bigger contract than it looks like he’s headed to get right now.”
In his first foray into unrestricted free agency, Kuminga is looking to secure a great, long-term contract and rightfully so. But the money hasn’t been at the level he wants so he is continuing to wait in hopes that the kind of deal he is looking for will eventually be offered.
While Kuminga is obviously an extremely talented player, there are some questions surrounding him that could be why he has yet to sign. He had a well-publicized falling out with the Golden State Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr over his role within the offense, and when he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks mid-season last year, he didn’t exactly light the world on fire.
The Lakers and Timberwolves are both in similar positions, trying to creep up closer to the level of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Kuminga could be a piece that helps, but only at the right price and he and the Lakers have yet to figure out what that number is.
Lakers arrive in Slovenia for Luka Doncic minicamp
If he does ultimately sign with the purple and gold, Kuminga will unfortunately be missing out on the team’s bonding trip and minicamp in Slovenia hosted by superstar guard Luka Doncic.
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