The Lakers’ pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga has stalled, even as the team still sees him as its biggest remaining upside play this offseason. Dan Woike of The Athletic said the sides are not close, but he also stopped short of calling the deal dead.
That is why Kuminga’s name keeps coming up now. He is a free agent after Atlanta declined its $24.3MM team option for next season, and the market around him has not produced the kind of contract he is looking for. With no team having enough remaining cap space to make that offer, any path to Los Angeles would have to run through a sign-and-trade.
Woike said the Lakers and Hawks remain far apart on the terms of a possible deal, and he also said Los Angeles is not overly motivated to include significant draft assets in its offers. That matters because draft capital is the main currency the Lakers could use to bridge the gap without stripping away the flexibility they want to keep for later moves.
The timing has only made the situation more interesting. Rumors tying Kuminga to Los Angeles have been circulating since late June, but there has been no sign that momentum is building, and Cleveland reportedly has interest as well. The Lakers can circle back if the market stays quiet, but for now the stall is real.
There is also a twist in the background that keeps this from looking settled. It is not clear how much interest the Hawks have in re-signing Kuminga, even after adding forward Luguentz Dort in a three-team trade on Sunday. If that uncertainty holds, the next move may come from whichever side blinks first on the price, not from any sudden change in Kuminga’s value.
For now, the league’s read is simple: the Lakers still want the swing, Kuminga still needs the right structure, and the deal will not move unless someone gets more flexible on either money or draft assets.
