The Los Angeles Lakers are monitoring the situation of Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who will be eligible for trade on Jan. 15, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Lakers Eyeing Jonathan Kuminga
Before the season, Kuminga finally agreed to a two-year, $46.8 million deal with the Warriors to end a prolonged contract stalemate. As part of the deal, he waived his inherent no-trade clause.
The club option in the second year is designed for either the Warriors or another team if and when Kuminga is traded before the Feb. 5 deadline this season.
Fischer noted that the Lakers have already contacted Golden State to inquire about the 6-foot-7 wing:
“The purple-and-gold’s known preference at this deadline is to acquire a true 3-and-D wing with size if possible to provide some point-of-attack resistance on the perimeter as well as some shooting, but it must be said the Lakers, according to sources, did call Golden State about Kuminga during the sides’ summer standoff in restricted free agency I’m told that the Lakers have likewise continued to monitor Kuminga’s situation while casting a wide net to try to find help on a very limited wing market.”
Lakers Won’t Trade Their 2032 First-Rounder
At this juncture, it’s unclear what Golden State’s asking price is for Kuminga.
While the Lakers would be willing to offer Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and Dalton Knecht for Miami’s Andrew Wiggins, their 2032 first-rounder is viewed as “their most valuable trade asset,” per The Athletic’s Dan Woike.
“Trading that pick would lock the team’s ability to trade the 2031 pick now and the 2033 pick this summer. So, yeah, the 2032 pick probably isn’t going anywhere,” Woike wrote.
“With Wiggins, I don’t know if he’s really available or if he’s worth it at this price point.”
Based on this information, the Lakers could send Kleber and a second-rounder to the Warriors for Kuminga.
Kings, Bulls, Wizards Interested In Kuminga
Fischer’s report comes nearly a week after Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports said the Kings, Bulls, and Wizards “all have different levels of interest” in Kuminga.
Last Wednesday, the Hawks traded Trae Young to Washington for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. The Wizards moved $30 million below the luxury tax, opened a roster spot, and cleared $46 million in cap room for the summer.
With Young now on the roster, Washington could be a realistic landing spot for Kuminga. The Dallas Mavericks have also reached out to Golden State, per Johnson.
However, Johnson added that the Warriors “haven’t shown any interest in trading” veteran wing Jimmy Butler just a year after acquiring him from the Heat.
Kuminga Hasn’t Played Since December
After starting the first 12 games of the season, Kuminga was demoted to a bench role due to underwhelming play. He was then sidelined for seven games because of bilateral knee tendonitis.
Following a return to action in late November, Kuminga appeared in four games in a row, making another start on Dec. 6 in Cleveland, but he has been listed as DNP in 13 of Golden State’s past 16 games.
The former first-round pick hasn’t played since Dec. 18 at Philadelphia.
In 18 appearances (13 starts) this campaign, Kuminga is averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, a career-high 2.4 turnovers, and 24.8 minutes per outing while shooting a career-low 43.1% from the field.
