Jonathan Kuminga is still an unrestricted free agent - even this late into the period - and one of his most-linked suitors recently made a move that effectively eliminates them from the sweepstakes.
After months of dialogue and uncertainty regarding where he'll end up, Peyton Watson - the 23-year-old forward who had a semi-breakout season last year with the Denver Nuggets - has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The same Cavaliers who were one of the most interested and aggressive potential landing spots for Kuminga. With James Harden still unsigned, the idea of them even attempting to get Kuminga at a cheaper value, now, seems far-fetched.
One potential destination down, very few to go
Any time a suitor departs from their expected path to fill the same positional need, the future looks grim for the player who was heavily anticipated to sign.
However, it does provide clarity - something this entire free agency period has lacked.
The most discussed list of landing spots for Kuminga included, of course, the Cavaliers, but also the Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks and most notably, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even more so than Cleveland, LA made Kuminga a focal point of their offseason activity after reshaping the bulk of their roster. They're clearly lacking forward depth. The former Warrior and Hawk would undoubtedly fill a need.
For a second, it felt like there was no other possibility. Kuminga to the Lakers was picking up real steam, until talks began to dwindle. His camp wants more than any team is currently willing to pay him, and even if they chose to hit that mark, it would have to be done via sign-and-trade.
Cap space is limited this late into the summer.
That's really why, even though Cleveland could theoretically use Kuminga as additional forward depth - they're likely to put their pursuit to a permanent halt.
Lakers now lead the race, but an unexpected team could emerge
Naturally, this gives Los Angeles all the ammo they need to finally get a deal done.
They'll still need to work through various scenarios, as again, signing him to his expected value would have to be done in the form of a sign-and-trade.
Maybe there's a multi-team framework that gets the ball rolling once more. Maybe he ends up re-signing with the Hawks on a one-year "prove-it" deal. Maybe a team comes out of nowhere and gets aggressive for his services.
At the very least, Cleveland likely being out on Kuminga makes his next move a whole lot clearer.
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