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NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein said the Lakers remain interested in Jonathan Kuminga, but his reported asking price and uncertainty surrounding a potential sign-and-trade with the Hawks continue to complicate negotiations.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> remain determined to add Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> to their revamped roster.<\/p>\n Whether they can actually land the restricted free agent is another question.<\/p>\n Speaking during a Bleacher Report livestream<\/a> from the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on Thursday, veteran NBA<\/a> insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein offered the clearest picture yet of where the Lakers stand in their pursuit of the 23-year-old forward.<\/p>\n The update revealed three significant hurdles: convincing the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> to cooperate in a sign-and-trade, bridging a sizable contract gap with Kuminga and navigating the Lakers\u2019 limited financial flexibility after an aggressive offseason.<\/p>\n Despite those challenges, Fischer made one point abundantly clear.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Lakers very much want Jonathan Kuminga,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Lakers Continue Pursuit Despite Busy Offseason<\/p>\n The Lakers have already reshaped much of their roster around Luka Don\u010di\u0107 this summer.<\/p>\n Los Angeles acquired Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz<\/a>, signed Quentin Grimes<\/a>, Collin Sexton<\/a>, Sandro Mamukelashvili<\/a> and Kevon Looney<\/a> in free agency and later added Jaden Hardy after dealing former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton<\/a> to the Washington Wizards<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stein noted that, outside of Kuminga, the Lakers have largely completed the offseason they envisioned.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Lakers have been able to execute pretty much all the moves they wanted to make,\u201d Stein said.<\/p>\n That has allowed president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka to continue exploring ways to add another young, high-upside wing.<\/p>\n Kuminga Contract Gap Remains Significant<\/p>\n Fischer revealed the Lakers have repeatedly made offers to Kuminga but have not come close to matching the salary the former Golden State Warriors<\/a> lottery pick is believed to be seeking.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have made offers to Jonathan Kuminga repeatedly,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cLast I heard, two years, $20 million was what the Lakers were hoping for.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Fischer, Kuminga continues to seek a contract closer to the $25 million annually that surfaced during negotiations with Golden State last offseason.<\/p>\n \u201cI do believe that Kuminga is looking for something more in that $25 million ballpark that he landed last year from Golden State,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n \u201cQuite frankly, I find it difficult to imagine he\u2019s going to find that number on this marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n Stein agreed that the current market has worked against Kuminga.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he can get 20 over two at this point in the summer, given where\u2019s the other cap space?\u201d Stein said. \u201cThere\u2019s no cap space left anywhere, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Hawks Could Hold the Key<\/p>\n Even if the Lakers and Kuminga eventually agree on contract terms, another obstacle remains.<\/p>\n Stein suggested the Hawks could be willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade under the right circumstances.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hawks seem amenable to it,\u201d Stein said.<\/p>\n Fischer, however, sounded far less convinced.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we\u2019ve got to make more calls on it,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not so certain how willing the Hawks are to play ball with the Lakers.\u201d<\/p>\n Atlanta\u2019s willingness matters because the Lakers no longer possess the cap space necessary to sign Kuminga outright after using most of their remaining flexibility on this offseason\u2019s additions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Lakers don\u2019t have the spending power to sign Kuminga to a certain extent to give Kuminga the full ballpark that he would want,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n That leaves a sign-and-trade as the most realistic pathway should negotiations progress.<\/p>\n Lakers View Kuminga as Long-Term Bet GettyJonathan Kuminga remains the Lakers\u2019 top wing target as Los Angeles explores sign-and-trade and other roster-building options to reshape the team around Luka Doncic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite the obstacles, neither insider suggested the Lakers are backing away.<\/p>\n Stein acknowledged Kuminga may not perfectly address Los Angeles\u2019 most pressing need for point-of-attack defense.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s really the two-way wing that they need,\u201d Stein said. \u201cThis looks like it would be a talent play more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Fischer agreed, arguing that Kuminga\u2019s upside outweighs concerns about positional fit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the highest-upside wing available,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cSomething along the lines of Luka\u2019s timeline.\u201d<\/p>\n That timeline appears to be driving the Lakers\u2019 continued interest.<\/p>\n Even after completing one of the NBA\u2019s busiest offseasons, Los Angeles continues searching for another foundational piece to grow alongside Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n Whether the Lakers can overcome Atlanta\u2019s uncertainty, Kuminga\u2019s contract demands and their own financial limitations may ultimately determine whether that vision becomes reality.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein said the Lakers remain interested in Jonathan Kuminga, but his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792001,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-792000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Atlanta](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/washington-wizards-v-atlanta-hawks-atlanta-georgia-february-24-jonathan-kuminga.jpg\")
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