Could the Atlanta Hawks trade Jonathan Kuminga to the Los Angeles Lakers soon?
According to Khobi Price of the California Post, the Atlanta Hawks are open to a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Hawks made Kuminga an unrestricted free agent by declining his team option for next season. Atlanta acquired the forward from the Golden State Warriors last season.
"A source told the Post the Hawks are willing to execute a sign-and-trade with the Lakers around the framework of Kuminga going to L.A. and the Hawks receiving Jarred Vanderbilt and the Lakers' 2032 first-round pick swap – the lone option the Lakers have of trading a first-round pick this summer," Price wrote. "Los Angeles also has three second-round picks available to trade."
Kuminga is open to signing with the Lakers, who need a starting swingman after losing LeBron James and Rui Hachimura.
In 16 regular-season games with the Hawks last season, Kuminga averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He helped Atlanta make the 2026 playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks lost to the New York Knicks in the first round in six games. Kuminga averaged 13.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in the six-game series.
Kuminga enters next season with career averages of 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He won the 2022 championship with the Warriors against the Boston Celtics.
The Hawks have been active this offseason. They re-signed CJ McCollum and Jock Landale and acquired Devin Carter from the Sacramento Kings and Aaron Wiggins from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the 2026 NBA Draft, Atlanta got Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar. Atlanta appears to have a bright future with Jalen Johnson, McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels leading the way in the post-Trae Young era.
Anthony Slater of ESPN recently reported that Kuminga still could return to the Hawks on a more team-friendly structure than the $24.3 million option they just declined. However, a reunion of that nature isn't being actively discussed.
Kuminga's restricted free agency with the Warriors took deep into the offseason before a temporary resolution was reached. Golden State ultimately opted to trade Kuminga during the 2025-26 season when a deal materialized with Atlanta.
Let's see how long his unrestricted free agency lasts this summer. A current factor appears to be LeBron James being on the market and the possibility of him signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, holding up the wing market to an extent.
