The NBA has a rule that directly impacts the Los Angeles Lakers' pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga. The rule dictates that a sign-and-trade acquisition must be signed to a minimum of a three-year contract. Additionally, a player or team option would not count toward said minimum and could thus only be tacked on for additional seasons rather than providing an out in year three.
Faced with the uncertainty of whether or not Kuminga would be an ideal fit in Los Angeles, the Lakers' biggest hurdle in acquiring him is figuring out how to structure a deal that won't jeopardize the Luka Doncic era.
Kuminga is an undeniably talented player, but there are reasonable questions about how well he'd fit in Los Angeles. He's been a generally inefficient three-point shooter and would be joining a Lakers team that needs their forwards to be able to space the floor.
Furthermore, though Kuminga has provided flashes of brilliance on the defensive end of the floor, consistency remains a question mark.
With said concerns established, signing Kuminga to a fully guaranteed three-year deal is a tough sell. Even if he ultimately signs for a team-friendly figure, not knowing how he'll fit with Doncic and Austin Reaves makes a long-term investment too risky to justify—particularly after the Lakers handed four-year deals to Quentin Grimes, Walker Kessler, and Sandro Mamukelashvili earlier in free agency.
With unknowns and question marks looming large already, the Lakers need to be cautious in their approach to Kuminga's contract. Thankfully, there's a way to do so.
NBA rule requires sign-and-trades to yield at least a three-year contract
The good news for the Lakers is that the NBA's CBA exclusively requires the first season of a sign-and-trade contract to be fully guaranteed. In other words: Los Angeles could hypothetically sign Kuminga to a three-year deal, but only guarantee the 2026-27 season.
In that scenario, they'd have the flexibility to either partially guarantee future seasons or even structure them as non-guaranteed figures.
Selling Kuminga on a partially guaranteed contract is an entirely different challenge, particularly after his previous encounter with free agency. The Golden State Warriors rather consistently made him a healthy scratch in 2024-25, yet played hardball in free agency to the point that he signed a two-year deal with a second-year team option in 2025.
Now looking for career stability, Kuminga may not be all that enthused with an offer that could see him right back in free agency next summer.
With this in mind, the Lakers' most appealing and relatively safe offer would likely be a three-year deal with the third season non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed. That would give Kuminga the stability of having two seasons of pay and roster placement, all the while protecting Los Angeles from long-term risk.
Perhaps the Lakers have a better and more creative way to work around this pesky NBA rule, but the bottom line is this: Completing a sign-and-trade for Kuminga must be done with long-term flexibility in mind.
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