NBA Rumors: Lakers have tight window to take a chance on future All-Star

The Los Angeles Lakers are facing the harsh reality that the current era is nearing its end. Anthony Davis will turn 32 in March and LeBron James will be 40 in December, meaning Los Angeles must begin planning for life after their championship-winning duo.

In a time-sensitive twist of fate, the opportunity to find a player who can complement Davis once James has retired may have presented itself.

The Golden State Warriors are currently in the midst of a contract extension saga that projects to determine the course of what may be Stephen Curry's final seasons with the team. 2021 first-round draft picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are both up for extensions and Golden State has thus far been unwilling to meet the former's asking price.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the biggest holdup is Kuminga potentially requesting a max-level extension—a figure that Golden State has no interest in coming close to matching.

"The Warriors aren’t currently prepared to give Kuminga a max extension (like the five-year, $224-million deal Franz Wagner got from the Orlando Magic that will start at 25 percent of the cap) or anything that stretches too close to that $44.8 million annual salary, league sources said."

With the October 21 deadline to sign players to a rookie-scale extension rapidly approaching, Slater reports that there's a, "Clear divide," between the two sides.

Enter the Lakers.

Jonathan Kuminga could be the future All-Star the Lakers need

Kuminga is one of the most intriguing young players in the NBA. At just 21 years of age, he's already looking the part of a high-level scoring threat, with untapped potential yet to be explored so early in his career.

This past season, Kuminga took the spotlight and placed it squarely on his upside by averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in just 26.3 minutes per game.

Kuminga's per-game averages translate to 21.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 offensive boards, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.7 blocks, and 1.0 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes. That's consistent with his career avergaes of 19.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 offensive boards, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.7 blocks, and 1.2 three-point field goals made per 36.

In other words: What Kuminga turned in during the 2023-24 season was not an unexpected step forward, but a direct product of increased playing time.

In addition to producing well, Kuminga shot 52.9 percent from the field and 74.6 percent at the free throw line—the latter of which was a 9.4 percent increase over his mark from 2022-23. There are concerns about his outside shot, as he converted just 32.1 percent of his three-point field goals.

In saying that, across the 21 games during which Kuminga saw at least 30 minutes of playing time, he averaged 21.1 points on .554/.372/.777 shooting.

Beyond his scoring, Kuminga has flashed the potential to be a genuine two-way player. His defense has improved season-by-season, and he's showcased the versatility to make plays in the passing lanes or against slashing scorers, thus enabling him to switch and pick up players at multiple positions.

It's far too soon to call Kuminga a lockdown defender, but there's clear defensive upside to explore—an intriguing thought considering Anthony Davis would be playing behind him.

If the Warriors are truly unwilling to match Kuminga's asking price, then there's an outside chance that they'd prefer to trade him than go through the 2024-25 season with a disgruntled core player. That would open the door for the Lakers to step up and make an offer for a future All-Star.

The opportunity cost will determine how viable an option this is, but the Lakers' patience may have paid off as Kuminga and the Warriors struggle to bridge the divide.