Jonathan Kuminga may be destined for a return to the Pacific Division.
The former NBA lottery pick Kuminga is expected to land with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports reported on Sunday. Deveney adds that a Kuminga deal would likely be a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks featuring options and non-guarantees after the first year that would allow Kuminga to test free agency again as soon as possible.
Kuminga, the 23-year-old forward, is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after getting his $24.3 million team option declined by the Hawks earlier this month. A versatile 6-foot-7 scorer and rebounder, Kuminga still has some untapped potential but only averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Hawks last season.
As for the Lakers, they have been pursuing Kuminga for much of the summer after their forward depth took a hit with the departures of LeBron James and Rui Hachimura. Though the Lakers did just give a four-year, $52 million contract to Sandro Mamukelashvili, their starting power forward spot may still be totally up for grabs.
We recently learned that Kuminga was seeking a deal closer to the range of $25 million per year. But the Lakers, up to this point, have only offered Kuminga a much more modest contract, which might explain why a deal still has yet to get done.
A sign-and-trade, meanwhile, is a viable way to both a) get Kuminga closer to his desired compensation and b) ensure that the Lakers can fit him under their luxury-tax constraints. If for whatever reason an agreement with the Lakers falls through though, there have been a couple of other suitors mentioned in connection with Kuminga lately.
