The Hawks may have declined Jonathan Kuminga’s team option, making him an unrestricted free agent, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have a say in where he goes next.
With Kuminga being a five-year player with a high upside, multiple teams, including the Lakers, are interested in the wing.
The Lakers have reportedly offered him a two-year, $20 million deal, but it wasn’t enough to entice him to sign.
Perhaps if another team can get involved, everyone can benefit and get what they want. That’s where Atlanta
comes in.
On Wednesday, Khobi Price wrote a piece for the California Post detailing that the Hawks would be willing to execute a sign-and-trade, sending Kuminga to Los Angeles.
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.
Obvioulsy this is something the Hawks would like. They avoided paying Kuminga by declining his option, and now they are being rewarded with picks and a defensive player in Jarred Vanderbilt if the Lakers agree to this.
If the numbers work, Kuminga could get a better deal than what LA originally offered. The Lakers could acquire him, and the Hawks would gain the assets they want.
Price also reported later in the piece that the Lakers are open to moving Vando or other players in a trade.
“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.”
The key here is that just because the Lakers are willing to move certain players doesn’t mean they will do so if the deal doesn’t make sense.
A bad move just to land a wing is even worse than not acquiring one at all. The Lakers don’t have much money or roster spots left, so they have to figure out how to maximize this opportunity.
Also, with the Lakers trading for Walker Kessler, they have very little draft capital left. Sending picks to the Hawks could be a bad long-term decision if Kuminga doesn’t improve with the Lakers.
Still, the Hawks’ willingness to facilitate this is a positive. The goal for Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka, at this point, should be to tinker with a deal so that it benefits the Lakers as well.
Even though Kuminga’s value isn’t very high right now, he’s still a solid player. Last year, he averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 33.3% from 3-point range.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
