Could the Cleveland Cavaliers land Jonathan Kuminga?
According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to have interest in small forward Jonathan Kuminga.
The Atlanta Hawks made Kuminga an unrestricted free agent by declining his 2026-27 team option.
Kuminga has a high level of comfort with Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, who coached Kuminga during his first three NBA seasons as a lead assistant for the Golden State Warriors.
The 23-year-old Kuminga appeared in 36 games for the Warriors and Hawks last season. He averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 72.4% from the free-throw line.
Atlanta lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs in six games. Kuminga averaged 13.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in the six-game series.
A one-time NBA champion, Kuminga has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in the regular season and 8.0 points per game in the playoffs. He won the 2022 championship with the Warriors against the Boston Celtics.
The Cavaliers made the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 2018. However, the Knicks swept Cleveland on their way to winning the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
Cleveland wants to sign franchise legend LeBron James, who will not return to the Los Angeles Lakers. Slater reports that the Lakers are heavily pursuing Kuminga as well.
Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension with the Cavaliers. If LeBron signs with Cleveland, we would see a starting lineup of James Harden, Mitchell, LeBron, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen next season in Ohio. Harden is expected to re-sign with Cleveland after LeBron picks his next team.
It will be fascinating to see if the Cavaliers can sign Kuminga and LeBron. Both wings can help Cleveland win the title next season.
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