Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Image via: Lakers and Warriors
Because kuminga isn’t the same type of player Hachimura is, that distinction matters. Hachimura could at least lean on catch-and-shoot volume to make a corner role work. Kuminga doesn’t have that same track record as a floor-spacer. Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Maxwell Ogden argued that Kuminga lacks that specific skill set or skill level needed to thrive as a stand-and-wait shooter, and that his game is built around downhill attacks, transition finishing and pick-and-roll reps rather than standing in the corner.
The 23-year-old forward, whose $24.3 million team option was declined by the Atlanta Hawks, is reportedly seeking $14-16 million annually, well above the roughly $10 million the Lakers initially floated. The Hawks have 16 players on guaranteed deals and only $3.8 million of tax room to work with, while the Lakers are hard-capped at the first apron following the Walker Kessler sign-and-trade, leaving them $8.1 million below that line. Category Details Player Jonathan Kuminga Current Team Atlanta Hawks (rights holder); unrestricted free agent Rumored Team Los Angeles Lakers Contract Status Unrestricted free agent after Hawks declined $24.3M team option Salary Cap Hit Kuminga seeking $14-16M annually; Lakers’ initial offer ~$10M Signing Likelihood Stalled for weeks, per ESPN; both sides face cap constraints Latest Insider Update ESPN’s Anthony Slater: Lakers still interested, but no movement The Lakers have already added wing depth this offseason through the draft and free agency, signing Mattise Thybulle and Ziaire Williams and drafting Cameron Carr, but the roster still lacks a downhill scoring option on the wing. Rui Hachimura, dealt out this summer and now with the Clippers, spent last season boxed into a 3-and-D role next to Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
He reported that “the Lakers remain interested in him, league sources said”, even as the two sides have failed to bridge the gap on years and money in a potential sign-and-trade. Speaking about his new team, Hachimura said the Clippers coaching staff wants him “to shoot my three-pointers, of course, but also do more cutting”, and that he wants to get back to rebounding and pushing the pace, the kind of two-way game he says the Lakers’ system didn’t allow. Jonathan Kuminga’s free agency has stretched past a month with no resolution, and the Los Angeles Lakers remain in the picture as a possible sign-and-trade destination. Both sides face structural hurdles. Talks have stalled for weeks even as ex- warriors star Kuminga’s earning power shrinks with each passing week of free agency. ESPN’s Anthony Slater has tracked the standoff closely. Slater’s reporting frames this as Kuminga’s second straight prolonged free agency process, with the Lakers’ pitch appealing to the player but the financial terms proving to be the sticking point. The cautionary tale sits on the Lakers’ own roster departures. He excelled there in the playoffs, shooting at a historic clip from three, but his comments since leaving suggest he wasn’t satisfied playing that way. Ogden’s point cuts to the core of the fit question: if Hachimura struggled with limited touches despite being suited to that exact role, a player less equipped for it could struggle even more.
