It seems as if the Los Angeles Lakers' biggest threat to not landing Jonathan Kuminga is the Cavaliers, who just happened to trade Dennis Schröder and cash to the Hornets for Tre Mann on Friday, as first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania. The move will save Cleveland about $6.8 million and puts the team in a better position to land the 23-year-old unrestricted free agent.
The Cavaliers are also one of the teams pursuing restricted free agent Peyton Watson. As Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported on Wednesday, Cleveland is a "team to watch" for the forward (subscription required). The insider specifically noted that trading Schröder or Max Strus would allow the team "to make a representative four-year offer to Watson."
Charania reported shortly after news of the Schröder trade broke that the Cavaliers are still "strongly" pursuing both Kuminga and Watson.
The Cavaliers remain in constant communication with James Harden and his agents on a new contract to return to Cleveland while they strongly pursue two free agent forwards -- restricted Peyton Watson and unrestricted Jonathan Kuminga -- made more viable with Friday's trade.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 14, 2026
It would be easier for Cleveland to land Kuminga, since it wouldn't have to be through a sign-and-trade, the path the Cavaliers would have to take to get Watson.
Lakers could lose out on Jonathan Kuminga to Cavaliers
ESPN's Anthony Slater said on Tuesday's episode of "Hoops Talk with Allen Sliwa" that the Lakers were the "hungriest suitor" for Kuminga. It would make sense for him to go to LA, as it would let him start for a contending team and prove his worth in the process. He could do the same in Cleveland, though, as the Cavaliers hope their championship dreams will come true in 2027.
It could come down to which team offers Kuminga the best contract, rather than the better opportunity. After all, he's waited this long to make a decision, and it could pay off (literally), as the Cavaliers created greater financial flexibility for themselves. They still need to re-sign James Harden, but they can do that and land Kuminga, who is the more affordable option over Watson.
On the flip side, if Cleveland is working to put together a better offer for Watson now that Schröder is gone, that could help guide Kuminga straight to Los Angeles. With the Lakers reportedly pursuing the forward the way that they are, they can only hope that will be the case. He should feel the same way, too, as LA has more for him.
A win-win scenario for the Lakers would be the Nuggets sending Watson to the Cavaliers in the East and Kuminga going to Los Angeles. Time should soon tell if that was the motivation behind Cleveland's latest move.
Add us as a preferred source on Google