Nearly two weeks into the NBA’s free agency period, forward Jonathan Kuminga remains a man without a team. While he has his question marks and concerns, his athleticism and natural ability are undeniable, and the Los Angeles Lakers have been in pursuit of him.
They have been hoping they could land him on a two-year, $20 million contract, per Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, but that looks unrealistic. There was a report from Khobi Price of the California Post that the Atlanta Hawks, Kuminga’s former team, are open to a sign-and-trade where they would acquire forward Jarred Vanderbilt and a future first-round pick swap for the 23-year-old. However, insider Jake Fischer said that Atlanta hasn’t considered taking Vanderbilt in such a deal.
Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports wrote that the Kuminga saga may not be resolved until LeBron James chooses his next team, which may not happen for several more days.
“The expectation is that James will decide this week, and that should free up the market for the rest of the top players.
“Among those top players is Jonathan Kuminga, who is still expected to land with the Lakers, though it is a matter of when and how–and how much money he gets. A sign-and-trade would require that Kuminga gets at least three years, though there can be options and non-guarantees after the first year. That’s most likely how this plays out–Kuminga might want to be able to get back into free agency if he plays well next season.”
Another team rumored to be interested in Kuminga is the Cleveland Cavaliers, and, of course, they’re a top candidate, if not the top candidate, for James. If James does return there, that decision could essentially steer Kuminga to the Lakers, as the Cavs have very limited salary cap flexibility.
Now that all of the Lakers’ free agent signings, including Austin Reaves’ new contract, are official, the team is over the salary cap. That means the only way for it to land Kuminga is through a sign-and-trade deal.
He averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.1 minutes a game this past season. The Hawks acquired him in February along with Buddy Hield from the Golden State Warriors for Kristaps Porzingis.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Report: Jonathan Kuminga may be waiting for LeBron to choose next team
