Lakers should be all-in on Jonathan Kuminga — but at the right price

LAS VEGAS — It’s no secret that the Lakers are pursuing unrestricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga. 

And at this point, it’s clear that Kuminga would like to be a Laker. 

But the two sides aren’t close on an agreement because the Lakers’ lastest offer isn’t what Kuminga’s side is seeking from L.A. 

The Lakers’ latest offer, a source told the California Post, would have Kuminga earning an average annual salary around $10 million. 

At this point in the league’s calendar – almost 1 ½ weeks into the start of free agency – the amount of double digit salary deals are becoming less common.

But the vision the Lakers have pitched Kuminga on – being the team’s starting wing who completes the puzzle of the team’s offseason of building around superstar Luka Doncic – doesn’t match the offers the Lakers have made to Kuminga at this point. 

Especially when factoring in the fact the Lakers agreed to long-term deals with Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million) and Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million), both of whom will make at least $13 million next season despite at least one of them coming off of the bench if Kuminga joins the Lakers.  

It’s clear Kuminga wants more from the Lakers. 

The problem for the Lakers? 

They’ve already used up the $52-plus million in cap space they entered the offseason with on Grimes, Mamukelashvili, Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million), Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million) and Kevon Looney (one year, $3.9 million).

The Lakers would have to shed a little over $10 million in salary to create enough cap space to outright sign Kuminga – and that’s before factoring in the deals for Sexton and Looney, which aren’t official yet, or the re-signing of Austin Reaves (four years, $185 million).

Once the signings of Sexton and Looney are official, the Lakers would have to shed around $20.8 million of salary to offer Kuminga a $10 million per season deal. 

And that clearly won’t be enough to get the 23-year-old athletic forward in the Purple and Gold. 

As the Post reported on Wednesday, the main avenue for the Lakers to acquire Kuminga would be in a sign and trade with the Hawks. 

The Hawks, a source to the Post, 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. Los Angeles also has three second-round picks (Wizards two picks and its own 2033 pick) available to trade.

Kuminga’s contract would have to be for at least three or four seasons (not including option seasons), and the first season must be fully guaranteed, if the Lakers acquired him in a sign and trade.  

A sign-and-trade would allow for the Lakers to pay Kuminga a higher salary and retain his Bird Rights without having to sacrifice depth from their roster. 

And if the framework of the sign-and-trade for Kuminga is still on the table beyond Thursday, the Lakers should jump on it. 

Vanderbilt has two years and $25.7 million left on his four-year, $48 million contract extension he signed with the Lakers in September 2023. He has a $12.4 million salary for 2026-27 and a $13.3 million player option for 2027-28. 

The Lakers have been willing to trade Vanderbilt, according to multiple sources who spoke with the Post who were granted anonymity so they could speak freely, as well as other players on the roster in order to create more roster-building optionality. 

Vanderbilt hasn’t been a consistent top-nine rotation player for the Lakers when the roster is healthy. And even when healthy, Kuminga has been a better and more dynamic player than Vanderbilt. 

And the pick swap would simply be the price of doing business. And if the Lakers are better than the Hawks in six years – which they expect to be with Doncic on the roster – the pick swap becomes less of a factor. 

But then there’s the matter of how much the Lakers should pay Kuminga. 

If the Lakers acquire Kuminga in a sign-and-trade including Vanderbilt and the pick swap, the most they’d be allowed to pay Kuminga for 2026-27 would be around $21.5 million, which would also keep the Lakers below the first apron threshold they’re hard-capped at.

This is a salary range around Kyle Kuzma ($20.5 million), Dillon Brooks ($20.9 million), Christian Braun ($21.5 million), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($21.6 million), Norman Powell ($22.5 million), and Miles Bridges ($22.8 million). But outside of Braun, every other player in that salary range is either on an expiring deal or has a team option for the 2027-28 season. 

But on a three- or four-year deal, which the Lakers would be required to sign Kuminga to in a sign-and-trade, they should stick to a salary range between $16-19 million. Duncan Robinson ($15.9 million), Nikola Jovic ($16.2 million) and Patrick Williams ($18 million) are among wings/forwards who are in this salary range for next season. 

Kuminga is not only better than most of these players, but also has higher upside because of his youth, athleticism and skillset. 

Kuminga would be worth that salary range for the Lakers before even factoring in the fact he fits exactly what they need around Doncic and Reaves because of his physical profile, youth, skill and athleticism.

They’d be paying not just for what he is not, but the player he could develop into. Especially playing off of Doncic and Reaves.

Or that their options for a starting-level wing/forward who could be a long-term fit are limited. 

The Lakers must get a deal done for Kuminga.

Their offseason is already a success without Kuminga, but would be an overwhelming success with him. 

And they don’t have to break the bank to get Kuminga. But it’s time for the Lakers to back up the sentiments and vision for Kuminga with their offer.

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