It's no secret at this point that the Atlanta Hawks and Jonathan Kuminga could very well part ways before the 2026-27 season.
Just a few days ago, however, it felt more unlikely. Now, his status is kind of up in the air. No resolution has been made, even two days after LeBron James unexpectedly signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Everyone assumed the Kuminga market was simply waiting on LeBron to make his decision. Since nothing's happened, even now, it's not ridiculous to say that there just may not be much of a market.
His most interest suitor, outside of Atlanta and Cleveland, is the Los Angeles Lakers.
There's just too much preventing him from signing with the Lakers
If they had available money, the deal would be done. It's clear that Kuminga and his camp want to go to Los Angeles - which would fill out their starting five strategically. The Lakers are his most realistic path to receiving quality minutes on a team with championship aspirations.
After going on what could be best described as a spending spree in the initial days of free agency, the Lakers have no money left. The only way for them to bring in Kuminga would be in the form of a sign-and-trade.
The issue, though, is that sign-and-trades have standards that must be met. The contract the player signs, with the intent of being sent elsewhere, has to be for a minimum of three years.
Kuminga's camp has a specific line set for the annual money they want to receive. Despite his free agency negotiations lasting longer than almost all top available players, they don't seem to be willing to go under the $20 million a year range.
If they end up taking less, they would want it to be in the form of a one-year deal. If they end up going that route, his most likely landing spot would be the team he was on most recently. The Hawks could offer him the most, technically, in a one-year contract.
Maybe the best course of action would be to re-sign for a year
It's very likely that no team will offer him his asking price.
If that ends up being the case, why not stick around in Atlanta for one more season with a "prove-it" mentality?
Jonathan Kuminga - despite a lot of the outside noise suggesting otherwise - is an exciting young forward with plenty of untapped potential. There's always a chance he has a full breakout, leading to a much bigger payday, and market, in next year's free agency period.
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