The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly offered Jonathan Kuminga a two-year, $20 million contract. Unfortunately, the Lakers appear to need to do a bit more legwork before they can get a deal over the finish line, with a potentially improved offer being a part of that process.
The Lakers may be able to justify paying Kuminga more than an average of $10 million per season, but the one non-negotiable they must set is offering no more than a two-year deal.
Kuminga is an unrestricted free agent, but the Lakers' massive offseason haul has left them strapped for cash. As it stands, they'd need to execute a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks, Kuminga's previous team, in order to sign him to a contract above the minimum salary.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Lakers are willing to part with a pick swap in order to unload Jarred Vanderbilt's contract in a sign-and-trade for Kuminga. The goal would appear to be clearing space to offer Kuminga a larger contract than two years and $20 million.
"It's believed that the Lakers hope to package their lone tradeable first-round pick swap left over in 2032 along with Jarred Vanderbilt in a sign-and-trade proposal for Kuminga. Sources say Atlanta, however, has not considered taking back Vanderbilt in a deal that sends out Kuminga."
Fischer continued:
"There are said to be multi-team scenarios that the Lakers could pursue that offload Vanderbilt to a different team than Atlanta. That would help the Lakers provide Kuminga with an offer richer than the two-year, $20 million deal that sources say they originally presented him."
If the Lakers ultimately need to up their offer from two years and $20 million, then they must at least ensure that the contract length remains the same.
Lakers can up the money, but must cap Jonathan Kuminga at two years
Kuminga is a talented player who has flashed brilliance on both ends of the floor. He boasts career averages of 12.5 points per game and 20.3 points per 36 minutes on 50.2 percent shooting from the field, and has averaged 14.6 points per game between his past two trips to the playoffs.
Kuminga has also showcased the ability to defend at a high level, with the Hawks even playing him for full fourth quarters during their first-round series against the eventual champion New York Knicks.
The unfortunate truth about Kuminga, however, is that his career has been marred by inconsistency. Many of the issues can, of course, be attributed to the Golden State Warriors spending the better part of his first four NBA seasons playing him in roles that didn't suit him or his development.
One simply can't help but wonder if he can fill the role the Lakers would need him to, particularly with a lackluster three-point shot in his arsenal.
The Lakers may not play like the Warriors, but they have two of the most ball dominant players in the NBA in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Perhaps there's a world in which Kuminga becomes the third star, but it's an uncertain outcome that will rely on him addressing the fact that he's only shot better than 33.6 percent from beyond the arc in one of his four seasons.
With four-year contracts already handed to new additions Quentin Grimes, Walker Kessler, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, the Lakers simply can't afford to gamble with another long-term contract on a player who they can't guarantee is an ideal fit.
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