It’s an interesting twist that the remainder of the offseason of the Los Angeles Lakers seems to come down to whether the team can lure Jonathan Kuminga to the purple-and-gold. The Lakers had an offer on the table for Kuminga that would have allowed him to come to L.A. on a short-term deal, build up his value around the NBA, then go back on the free agent market next summer, when there would be more money available and when Kuminga could cash in, especially if he played well this year.
Things have gotten more complicated though, as the Kuminga rejected that notion and instead wants a heftier deal. The Hawks, remember, turned down a $24 million team option to keep Kuminga around, and they could still ultimately re-sign him.
The Lakers still have designs on Kuminga, though, and have not ruled out a sign-and-trade deal that would give him a starting spot. One issue though: a sign-and-trade needs to be for three seasons, and it’s unclear that the Lakers want to commit to Kuminga that long, especially when he wants $20 million per year or more.
Lakers Need Jonathan Kuminga for a Roster Upgrade
The chase is understandable, though, given where the Lakers are with their roster here in mid-July.
If the Lakers were to land Kuminga, it would give them a much more balanced roster and lineup. Kuminga is not a traditional power forward, but that has been primarily where he has been used, and would give the Lakers the ability to go with a starting frontcourt of Walker Kessler, Kuminga and Quentin Grimes, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the backcourt.
The Lakers signed Sandro Mamukelashvili, but he would be best suited coming off the bench as an offensive stretch-big. Kuminga makes more sense as a starting power forward, which is where he has gotten most of his minutes despite being just 6-foot-7.
Jonathan Kuminga Comes With Baggage
But there is more to Kuminga, the Lakers and his free agency, of course. We are five years into his NBA career and it is still difficult to figure out where, exactly, he fits in with a good NBA team.
Remember, concerns about Kuminga’s work ethic stretch back to his rookie year in Golden State, when Stephen A. Smith said he’d heard Kuminga was “short-changing” the team.. His lack of progress on the floor is more likely tied to that than to the narrative that Warriors coach Steve Kerr short-circuited his career.
Lakers Be Warned
That’s a concern for one NBA assistant coach who has seen a lot of Kuminga as the Lakers weigh what to do next.
“He is athletic, he has talent and he is still only 23,” the coach said. “But we saw him a lot before he came in and early in his career. And now, if you watch him, it is hard to find one thing that he has really gotten better at. Rebounding, maybe, he is a little better as as rebounder. But shooting? No. Defense? No. Ballhandling, play-making, any of that, you just never saw an area where it was like, ‘Oh, he added that to his game.’
“They wanted him to find a role and get great at it, and it just did not happen. You just hope somewhere along the line, that gets through to him because the talent is there.”
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