LeBron James picked the 76ers, and two of his former franchises are now circling the same 23-year-old forward. Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers maintained contact with Jonathan Kuminga and his Cleveland-based agent, Aaron Turner, throughout James’s free agency — and that the interest is mutual, according to multiple league sources who spoke anonymously about internal deliberations.
The pivot was inevitable. Cleveland’s primary offseason target was a James reunion, a possibility that felt realistic enough that the organization kept its books flexible while waiting. Once ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news that James was heading to Philadelphia, the Cavaliers needed a fallback. Kuminga, a 6-foot-7 forward who can create off the dribble and defend multiple positions, became the obvious alternative.
The complication is structural. Kuminga’s camp has been seeking a deal in the range of $20 million per season, and nearly a month into free agency, almost no team has the cap space to offer that outright. A sign-and-trade is the only realistic path — which means the Atlanta Hawks, who hold Kuminga’s Bird rights after acquiring him from Golden State in February, control the mechanism even though they declined his $24.3 million team option. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that the Hawks are expected to be “pretty choosy” about which sign-and-trade packages they’ll accept.
Cleveland could theoretically package Dennis Schröder and Sam Merrill, who combine for roughly $24 million next season, to match salary in a deal. But Atlanta’s leverage is considerable. The Hawks already added Lu Dort from Oklahoma City in a three-team trade, deepening a wing rotation that includes Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Wiggins. There is no obvious fit for Kuminga in that group — but there is also no urgency for Atlanta to accept a package that does not improve its roster simply because Cleveland or the Lakers want a deal done.
The numbers on Kuminga cut both ways. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 16 appearances for the Hawks after the midseason trade, a modest sample that included a 27-point debut against Washington and a 21-point playoff outing in a Game 3 win over the Knicks. His usage rate in Atlanta was lower than it was in Golden State, where he posted a career-high 34 points twice in a three-day span in late December 2024. The talent is evident. The consistency has not been.
What Cleveland does have in its favor is a coaching connection. Kuminga developed a relationship with Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson during Atkinson’s tenure as a Warriors assistant under Steve Kerr. Vardon noted that while both sides confirmed interest, the avenue the Cavs might take to acquire him remains unclear.
The Lakers remain the other prominent suitor, but their financial flexibility is even more constrained than Cleveland’s. Both of James’s most recent teams may end up bidding for the same player — a competitive dynamic that could push the Lakers to improve their offer to Atlanta, or could collapse entirely if neither franchise meets the Hawks’ asking price.
Cleveland has already lost Dean Wade to the 76ers this offseason due to apron concerns. Adding Kuminga to a core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and the expected-returning James Harden would bolster a rotation that reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Whether the Cavaliers can navigate the sign-and-trade maze to get him is a separate question — and one that Atlanta, not Cleveland, may ultimately answer.
