The Los Angeles Lakers have been at the forefront of trade rumors surrounding restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. While previously with the Atlanta Hawks, recent news on the team could signal the Lakers are closer than before to landing the 23-year-old forward in a deal.
As Kuminga remains on the restricted free agent market, the Hawks recently announced news that could very well signal his time in Atlanta is now over, potentially pushing the Lakers up the pecking order to either sign him outright or land him in a sign-and-trade with his former team.
While previous reports and trade rumors suggest talks between the Lakers and Kuminga have stalled, Los Angeles might have just gotten promising news as it relates to their top offseason target to add to the roster.
Atlanta Hawks Report Is Good News For Lakers Jonathan Kuminga Trade Hopes
The most recent news out of Atlanta is that offseason addition Lugentz Dort, previously of the Oklahoma City Thunder, is set to play in the #0 jersey, last worn by Kuminga during his time on the team this past 2025-26 NBA season. Jersey number reporter Etienne Catalan was the first to report the news of Dort taking Kuminga’s old number.
With that, as Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote for LakeShowLife.com, Dort taking Kuminga’s number could signal the Hawks have no plans of bringing back the restricted free agency, potentially opening the door even wider for a team like the Lakers to land him in a sign-and-trade deal.
“A return to his last team may be off the menu of possibilities,” he wrote. “Little things like this greatly suggest a sign of what is to come. The Hawks may still be an important part of figuring out Kuminga’s next destination, given that a sign-and-trade could be the means of how the free agent forward can secure a payday with his new team.”
As it relates to a future with the Hawks, Atlanta also currently has 17 players on the roster, two more than the 15 NBA teams are allowed by the start of the season. Yes, the Lakers share that issue, but as it relates to Kuminga’s old team, if they had plans of bringing him back, a new contract agreement likely would have come already.
“But the Hawks also have 17 standard contracts on their current roster. They are going to have to cut down to 15 by the start of the regular season, which is probably a better indicator of Kuminga’s status with the team,” David Yapkowitz wrote for ClutchPoints.com.
While Kuminga could have previously returned to the Hawks, that possibility now feels less likely than ever, as the Lakers continue to hone in on the restricted free agent.
Where Does LA Stand On A Kuminga Sign-And-Trade?
GettyJonathan Kuminga remains prominent in NBA trade rumors, namely with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite the Lakers’ long-standing interest in a Kuminga trade, the latest reports from top insiders don’t signal the two sides have gotten any closer to landing the 23-year-old forward.
As Anthony Slater wrote for ESPN, the Lakers and Kuminga were in talks earlier in the NBA offseason, but those talks have since stalled over the past few weeks.
“The Lakers met with Kuminga in the early hours of free agency, pitching him on a high-minutes role for a high-profile fringe contender in desperate need of athletic help on the wing,” he wrote. “The opportunity appealed to Kuminga, but the sign-and-trade contract offer (years, money, package going back to Atlanta) didn’t satisfy all sides. The Lakers remain interested in him, league sources said, but movement toward a deal has remained stalled for weeks.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves also remain in the hunt to land Kuminga through a sign-and-trade before the start of next season.
For now, even though there hasn’t been exact reporting on where the Lakers stand on a Kuminga deal, they remain heavily mentioned in trade rumors, and with his future in Atlanta looking complete, could be a bit closer to finally getting the missing piece to an already busy offseason full of change.
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