What's next for the Los Angeles Lakers?
The Jonathan Kuminga saga is over, and it did not end with the versatile forward ending up with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Wednesday, ESPN reported that Kuminga would be signing a two-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves worth just over $6 million annually. The Timberwolves used what was left of their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign the seventh overall pick in 2021.
The Lakers had pursued Kuminga all offseason, reportedly offering him a deal worth $10 million annually at the start of free agency after the Atlanta Hawks declined his team option, which was worth $24.3 million.
Los Angeles spent their money on a variety of players in the offseason, bringing in Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Jaden Hardy, Ziaire Williams, and Matisse Thybulle via free agency and trades.
Those moves left the Lakers with no cap space or exception money to spend on Kuminga by the end of August, when Kuminga made his decision.
How Close Were The Lakers?
Reports as early as this past week indicated that Kuminga was leaning toward the Lakers, but getting him to Los Angeles would be complicated. Since the Lakers had no money to offer the unrestricted free agent, the only way a deal would have been done was through a sign-and-trade.
The Hawks didn’t have to budge on a sign-and-trade since Kuminga wasn’t a restricted free agent where a resolution was needed. Atlanta is already two players over the contract limit, and reportedly didn’t want to go over the tax line. Any sign-and-trade would’ve added another contract and money to their roster, unless it became a multi-team deal.
The complications of a multi-team deal and the likely lack of urgency from Atlanta didn’t help the Lakers.
What Does It Mean For The Lakers?
The Lakers were reportedly offering Kuminga a starting spot next to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler. Now, they’ll have to take a look at the rest of the roster and decide who the two best fits are next to those three players.
Kuminga would’ve brought defensive versatility and athleticism to the lineup, but his lack of three-point shooting could’ve hurt their overall spacing. Doncic is no stranger to playing alongside a center and power forward who don’t always stretch the floor during his time in Dallas, so he would’ve made it work.
At this point in the offseason, with the moves the Lakers have already made, Kuminga may not have been a necessity, but he would’ve been a cherry on top of a revamped roster that better complements Doncic and Reaves.
