The Los Angeles Lakers still view Jonathan Kuminga as their preferred solution at small forward, but one prominent NBA insider believes the momentum behind a potential deal is beginning to fade.
Speaking during Sunday’s Bleacher Report livestream from NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, NBA insider Jake Fischer offered a discouraging update on the Lakers’ pursuit of the 23-year-old forward, suggesting negotiations have cooled despite Los Angeles’ continued interest.
“The Lakers continue to be connected to Jonathan Kuminga, but the longer they don’t come to an agreement on a deal, they being the Lakers and Jonathan Kuminga’s representation, it does kind of seem like the iron is losing its hotness,” Fischer said. “If that’s a way to butcher that metaphor.”
Fischer made clear, however, that Kuminga remains the Lakers’ top choice to fill their opening on the wing.
“We bumped into someone yesterday familiar with the situation who talked about the Lakers’ excitement for what Collin Sexton can bring on the perimeter defensively, but they’re clearly still looking at Jonathan Kuminga as being their starting wing,” Fischer said.
If an agreement isn’t reached, Fischer said Kuminga has no shortage of alternatives.
“So if that deal doesn’t come to fruition, Kuminga does have several other options on the table, including going back to Atlanta.”
Collin Sexton Deal Changes the Equation
GettyCollin Sexton’s two-year deal worth $19 million with the Los Angeles Lakers is now official, eliminating the pathway to sign Jonathan Kuminga outright.
Fischer’s comments came the same day the Lakers officially announced the acquisition of veteran guard Collin Sexton on a two-year, $19 million deal, a move that altered the club’s salary-cap outlook.
Shortly after the announcement, Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane noted on X that Sexton’s addition pushed Los Angeles above the salary cap, leaving the front office with limited ways to continue upgrading the roster.
“The Lakers are above the cap now with the Collin Sexton signing, indicating they aren’t going to shed salary to increase spending power,” Lane wrote. “If they want to add another piece to this roster, it will have to come via trade or veteran minimum signing.”
Lane’s observation prompted fellow Lakers Nation’s Daniel Starkand to point out that the previously reported contract framework involving Kuminga was no longer realistic.
“That Kuminga two-year, $20 million contract offer is off the table,” Starkand wrote. “Would need to be a sign-and-trade at this point.”
Lakers Have Long Targeted Kuminga
The latest developments represent a notable shift from where negotiations appeared to stand less than a week earlier.
Five days ago, Los Angeles Times reporter Broderick Turner reported that the Lakers had increased their offer to Kuminga to a two-year, $20 million contract as they searched for an athletic wing to complement Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and newly acquired center Walker Kessler.
Turner reported that the Lakers viewed Kuminga as the type of young, athletic forward capable of filling their long-standing need at small forward.
Kuminga averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field in 36 regular-season games with the Atlanta Hawks last season. Including the playoffs, he averaged 12.6 points and 4.8 rebounds across 22 postseason appearances.
Fischer’s latest update suggests the Lakers have not changed their evaluation of Kuminga. They still see him as their preferred starting wing.
The challenge now is getting a deal across the finish line.
With Fischer sensing negotiations have cooled, Kuminga maintaining multiple options—including a return to Atlanta—and the Sexton acquisition eliminating the possibility of signing him outright, the Lakers now appear to need a sign-and-trade to keep one of their top offseason pursuits alive.
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