The Lakers’ courtship of Jonathan Kuminga was always the kind of move that makes you lean forward — a 23-year-old with lottery-pick athleticism, stuck in a Warriors system that never quite figured out what to do with him, suddenly available in restricted free agency. Splashy. Tempting. The kind of upside swing that rebuilds a rotation overnight.
It has stalled.
The Athletic reported Sunday that the Lakers and Kuminga’s camp remain far apart on contract terms, and that Los Angeles is not motivated to surrender meaningful draft capital in a sign-and-trade arrangement. The gap is real enough that momentum has flatlined, according to the report, though Kuminga is described as the highest-upside target still on the board — a door that could reopen if his market stays cold.
Cleveland is the team most frequently linked to Kuminga beyond the Lakers, per league sources cited in the report. The Cavaliers’ interest adds a competitive element to whatever negotiations remain, and it raises the possibility that Kuminga’s eventual landing spot may not involve Los Angeles at all.
The Lakers’ reluctance to part with draft picks in a Kuminga deal fits the broader posture of a franchise that has already made its major moves. Los Angeles traded for center Walker Kessler and signed Kevon Looney, addressing the frontcourt after losing Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes from last season’s roster. The team also added Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili while watching Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura, and Marcus Smart depart — departures that accounted for roughly 80 percent of the minutes and points from the Lakers’ postseason run.
All of it happened under the shadow of LeBron James’ exit. The Lakers moved decisively into a Luka Dončić-led future, and the roster now orbits around a Dončić–Austin Reaves–Kessler core. The offensive upside was the dominant takeaway from the team’s veteran minicamp in Las Vegas last week, where observers noted the multiplied number of players who can punish defenders off the dribble — a skill that compounds the spacing and scrambling pressure Dončić and Reaves already create.
The Lakers are still monitoring the big-man market, team sources told The Athletic, though the roster is currently at full capacity. Any addition would require a corresponding move. The team also has interest in free-agent wing Matisse Thybulle, as The Stein Line previously reported — a defensive specialist who developed into a serviceable catch-and-shoot option in Portland but has played only 45 games over the past two seasons due to injuries.
On the margins, the Lakers are considering converting G League forward Arthur Kaluma’s strong summer — 18.6 points on 60.9 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from three — into a two-way contract, though that would require waiving one of their current two-way players. Second-year guard Chris Mañon and rookies AK Okereke and Peter Suder occupy those slots, with mixed reviews out of Summer League.
The Kuminga file isn’t closed. But the Lakers have drawn a line on what they’ll spend to get him, and Cleveland is standing right there with a checkbook too.
