One of free agency's worst-kept secrets has been the Los Angeles Lakers' fascination with the idea of adding Jonathan Kuminga to this next chapter for the franchise. Unfortunately, factoring in Kuminga for the Luka Doncic era comes with a financial hold-up for both sides.
Anthony Slater reported: "The Los Angeles Lakers continue to actively pursue unrestricted free agent wing Jonathan Kuminga, but they have not yet given him an enticing enough offer to commit, league sources told ESPN on Tuesday."
The ESPN reporter added that Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick have pitched the idea of being a 'high-minutes wing' beside Doncic, but Kuminga and his reps have yet to bite due to the lackluster offer being presented currently. They really should reconsider.
Taking a financial sacrifice now would set Kuminga up perfectly for the future. Doncic has a track record of getting guys like Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and others paid from his Dallas Mavericks days. The free agent forward could be next in line if he takes a financial sacrifice now.
Jonathan Kuminga could become a very rich man after playing with Luka Doncic
Kuminga is a flawed player. The Golden State Warriors gave up on him for good reason, and the Atlanta Hawks are flirting with that same outcome in free agency here.
Los Angeles could offer Kuminga the stage to rewrite his early-career narratives, though. That would need to involve some serious buy-in from him in the process.
Kuminga flashes moments of brilliance as a defender, particularly on the ball. However, the athletic forward can also frequently get lost off the ball and create major gaffs in the process. The Lakers would need him be receptive to Redick's tutelage on that side of the court.
The good news for Kuminga, and where his willingness to take sacrifice in the short-term should come from, would be that Doncic can set him up for the best offensive season of his career. Luka has incredible on-ball gravity and creates some of the easiest scoring opportunities for his teammates that anyone will ever come across.
As long as Kuminga is doing his part off the ball to space out to the corners or cut to the basket, Doncic will make things simple. On a stage like Los Angeles, rival teams will notice that.
Kuminga's best play would be taking a smaller two-year contract that gives the Lakers the financial advantage for 2026-27, but involves a player option for the 2027-28 campaign. That would allow the young forward to bet on himself and capitalize on playing beside Doncic.
Circling back to the example of Jones Jr., he took a one-year, $2.7 million deal to join the Mavericks. After one season in Dallas, the former Mav secured a three-year payday from the Los Angeles Clippers.
That can be the path for Kuminga. Considering his young age, someone should be willing to bank on his future after a standout campaign in Los Angeles. Before that can happen, he would need to truly believe in the version of himself that can materialize alongside Doncic on the Lakers.
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