Jonathan Kuminga’s Leverage Vanishes After Peyton Watson Trade: Lakers in the Driver’s Seat
Jonathan Kuminga is running out of options.
The Peyton Watson trade to the Cavaliers this week did more than reshape Cleveland’s roster. It also destroyed most of what was left of Kuminga’s leverage in his own free agency saga. The Cavs were one of the last real bidders for Kuminga. Now they have their wing. The Lakers are basically the only team left with the cap flexibility and the interest to make a real move.
Which is exactly what Rob Pelinka wanted.
Kuminga was traded to the Atlanta Hawks last February in a deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State. He was excellent for the Hawks in the second half of the season, averaging career highs and looking like the two-way star everyone thought he could be when he came out of the G League Ignite. Then his free agency stalled all summer because Atlanta could not extend him and no team wanted to give up the assets Atlanta was asking for.
The Lakers are now offering a sign-and-trade that would pay Kuminga around $45 million. The trade package would include Jarred Vanderbilt and multiple future draft picks going to the Hawks. Kuminga would have to sign at least a three-year contract for a sign-and-trade to work under CBA rules.
He does not have a better offer coming. That is the reality.
The Watson deal was the last domino. Watson was the only other RFA-caliber wing available at Kuminga’s price point, and Cleveland taking him off the board means teams looking for that kind of player are all now settled. There is no phantom bidder waiting to jump in with a max offer. The Lakers know it. Kuminga’s agent knows it.
Los Angeles has to figure out how to make this fit around Luka Doncic. Kuminga at power forward gives the Lakers a legitimate athletic finisher next to Doncic’s playmaking, and his defense would help solve the wing problems that have plagued them for years. On paper, the fit is really good.
The concern is chemistry. Kuminga was frustrated in Golden State because he wanted a bigger offensive role than Steve Kerr was willing to give him. He got that role in Atlanta and thrived. In Los Angeles, he would be behind Doncic and probably behind LeBron… wait, LeBron is in Philadelphia. That actually helps Kuminga. His shot creation matters more without another primary ball handler in the way.
For the Hawks, this is a nice haul. Vanderbilt is a solid rotation big, and the picks from the Lakers include a legitimate first-rounder that could turn into real value. Atlanta could not keep Kuminga and could not get any return if he simply walked, so a sign-and-trade for real assets is basically the best outcome available.
The Lakers need this. Pelinka’s job status has been shaky for months, and the LeBron departure to Philly was a franchise-embarrassment moment. Landing a young star like Kuminga would at least give Los Angeles a real answer at wing next to Doncic and would blunt some of the criticism aimed at the front office.
Kuminga himself gets a fresh start, real money, and a chance to be a key piece on a big-market roster. Not the ideal outcome, but a good one.
Expect the deal to be done by the end of the month. Kuminga has essentially no other options left.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
