The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to land Jonathan Kuminga, and the easiest path is trading their remaining draft capital to clear cap space. They used all their room signing Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Collin Sexton. Kuminga wants more than LA has offered so far. The Lakers have to free up space by trading their three second-round draft picks and lone first-round swap to dump Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, and Dalton Knecht.
Kuminga is exactly what the Lakers need. The 23-year-old would be the starting power forward. He is a significantly better defender and more athletic than former Laker Rui Hachimura. The 6’7 forward would have ample space working off Luka Doncic, and the Lakers superstar would improve Kuminga's shooting. This could be the perfect fit for JK, but it would mean taking a pay cut.
Kuminga made $23.8 million last season and had a $24.3 million team option declined by the Hawks. The Lakers can’t get into that range, but they could clear enough to convince Kuminga this is the right landing spot. This move made sense from the moment the Hawks waived him. Now LA has to go all in to land the plane.
Lakers should dump their remaining draft capital to sign Jonathan Kuminga
This is a risky strategy. Los Angeles would have no path to upgrading their roster at the trade deadline. They would be all-in on Pelinka’s new version built around Luka Doncic.
Credit to the front office for finding the center their superstar wants, but there is a massive hole at the four. The Lakers can’t start Mamu and expect him to play 30 minutes every night. He is a shooter and versatile offensive weapon, but his defense is problematic in certain matchups. The Lakers need an athletic forward with versatility. Kuminga is the best available option after LeBron James.
Kuminga averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.9 steals in 22.1 minutes per game after being traded to the Hawks last season. His role was inconsistent in Golden State, but Kuminga proved he could make winning plays in a steady role in Atlanta. The Lakers could help the 23-year-old build on that and have a superstar who maximizes his game.
Los Angeles is virtually all-in already. They gave up two first-round picks and two swaps to land Kessler. Pelinka gifted two role players four-year contracts. He clearly believes this is the roster that wins around Luka. If the general manager and head coach think Kuminga is the missing piece, the Lakers should go all-in to acquire him.
This isn’t a ton of actual capital. The Lakers traded three second-round draft picks for half of a season of Dorian Finney-Smith and three more to land Hachimura. Those are two players LA let walk away in free agency with zero in return. Letting the picks go to get Kuminga is a similar move and frees the Lakers of three undesirable contracts. That is a win-win.
The Los Angeles Lakers' easiest path to signing Jonathan Kuminga is to trade their remaining draft capital to dump Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, and Dalton Knecht off their books. It is a bold move, but the franchise is already all-in. Keep upgrading to maximize the title odds. Now is the time with Luka in his prime.
Add us as a preferred source on Google