{"id":826182,"date":"2026-07-27T03:50:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T03:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/826182\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T03:50:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T03:50:16","slug":"mario-hezonjas-signing-with-cavaliers-could-affect-jonathan-kumingas-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/826182\/","title":{"rendered":"Mario Hezonja’s Signing With Cavaliers Could Affect Jonathan Kuminga’s Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s free agency has proven particularly challenging for players like Jonathan Kuminga<\/a>. Despite being an exceptionally talented young player, Kuminga\u2019s offseason moves were completely held up by LeBron James\u2019 decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was widely expected that the ball would start rolling once James made his decision, and with the 41-year-old joining the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a>, the doors should have opened up for Jonathan Kuminga to sign with a new team, too. Unfortunately, this hasn\u2019t been the case.<\/p>\n

Among the few teams linked with Kuminga, the Cleveland Cavaliers emerged as a favorite<\/a>. However, with the Cavaliers<\/a> signing EuroLeague star and former first-round pick Mario Hezonja<\/a>, Kuminga finds himself in a tough spot. ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania revealed Hezonja\u2019s signing when he wrote<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cEuroLeague star Mario Hezonja has agreed to a one-year, $2.8 million deal to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Tellem of Excel Sports Management told ESPN.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite Mario Hezonja\u2019s reservations about returning to the NBA in 2022<\/a>, the former Knicks forward has been angling for a comeback after a spectacular season with Real Madrid. Given that he also agreed to a one-year, $2.8 million deal, the impact of his addition on the Cavaliers\u2019 payroll ($187.2 million) is also easier to digest than any contract they would have offered Jonathan Kuminga.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, the Cavs have addressed a key roster issue with the addition of Mario Hezonja. But what does this mean for Jonathan Kuminga?<\/p>\n

For starters, Hezonja\u2019s signing essentially implies that the Cavaliers can be ruled out as a potential landing spot for the 23-year-old forward. Despite having the money to offer him a new deal in free agency, Cleveland still needs to be judicious with its cap space as they revisit contract negotiations with James Harden<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Currently, it seems as if Kuminga and his camp are angling for a lucrative new deal that could see the forward earn close to $20-$25 million annually<\/a>. Realistically, only a handful of teams could match this value. Among these, it seems like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks remain frontrunners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is worth noting that there is a greater likelihood that any moves involving Kuminga would have to be through a sign-and-trade deal. However, this could also create some obstacles<\/a>, as the forward is only willing to accept less money in a one-year deal. To be traded, the forward would have to agree to a three-year contract.<\/p>\n

For the most part, Jonathan Kuminga deserves some attention as a rotation piece. During his brief stint with the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> last season, Kuminga averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 47.6% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range.<\/p>\n

As an elite athlete with terrific shot-creation ability, Jonathan Kuminga possesses immense upside as an alternative scoring option. However, with figures like these, it is difficult to justify a sizable contract at this point in the offseason.<\/p>\n

With the situation taking an unexpected turn, it appears all roads are leading to a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers<\/a>. Currently, the Hawks have shown interest in offloading the 23-year-old forward for Jarred Vanderbilt<\/a> and draft compensation. Still, if the value doesn\u2019t sit right with Kuminga, it is clear he won\u2019t proceed with the deal.<\/p>\n

To some extent, it could be argued that Kuminga\u2019s approach is proving largely detrimental to his own career. By the same token, one could also argue that it is necessary so that teams don\u2019t undervalue him.<\/p>\n

While it is difficult to predict how things will play out, it is safe to say that adding a player like Jonathan Kuminga would bolster the Lakers\u2019 roster. However, with teams like the Bucks<\/a> and even the Los Angeles Clippers having more cap flexibility<\/a> at their disposal, one could assume that the forward may see more monetary value in joining them instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year\u2019s free agency has proven particularly challenging for players like Jonathan Kuminga. Despite being an exceptionally talented…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":826183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-826182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826182","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=826182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/826183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=826182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=826182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=826182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}