Lakers predicted to move on from Jonathan Kuminga, trade for 7-year veteran with Finals experience

The Los Angeles Lakers have been aggressively pursuing Jonathan Kuminga since the beginning of the offseason, but nothing has come to fruition yet. Los Angeles believes Kuminga would thrive in a system alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Kuminga has developed a reputation for being a difficult player to negotiate with, as seen during his contract situation with the Golden State Warriors last season. The talented wing has also been a challenging target for the Lakers this summer.

“The Lakers could've signed him to a 2 year, $20M deal. He was not interested in that. I've heard he's been looking for closer to $20M AAV... There's a gap,” Lakers insider Jovan Buha said.

Kuminga would be an excellent addition for the Lakers, but it appears acquiring him would come at a significant price. The former NBA champion has made his contract expectations clear.

“Jonathan Kuminga is demanding a salary in free agency exceeding $20 million annually, per The Athletic. Kuminga prefers a sign-and-trade from the Hawks over leaving outright, simply due to the added financial implications. The Cavaliers and Lakers are the finalists for Kuminga,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery posted.

With Kuminga becoming increasingly difficult to acquire and potentially showing more interest in joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sports Illustrated’s Ryan Ward believes the Lakers should explore another option: trading for Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson.

“With the pursuit of Kuminga seemingly getting more and more complicated each day, the Lakers should head in another direction, with Cameron Johnson of the Denver Nuggets potentially there for the taking,” Ward wrote.

Johnson would provide the Lakers with another strong two-way wing option while also bringing valuable veteran leadership to the locker room. The Nuggets could potentially be open to taking on an expiring contract such as Jarred Vanderbilt’s or Dalton Knecht’s.

Johnson is currently on a $94 million contract with Denver, which would be a significant financial commitment for Los Angeles. However, the deal is expiring, giving the Lakers flexibility if the fit does not work out.

Johnson also has valuable postseason experience, reaching the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns in 2021. His experience on a championship-caliber team could make him an appealing target for a Lakers team looking to compete at the highest level.

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