Lakers lead Kuminga pursuit, offer starting role
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- Los Angeles Lakers are the "most active" team in free agent talks with Jonathan Kuminga, with GM Rob Pelinka reaching out when free agency opened before the team signed Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton (per ESPN).
- Lakers are pitching Kuminga on a potential starting role alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, directly addressing the wing void left by LeBron James and Rui Hachimura's departures.
- Atlanta Hawks declined Kuminga's $24.3 million team option, while his top suitors from last summer — the Sacramento Kings (facing a cap crunch) and Phoenix Suns (who traded for Miles Bridges) — are not in position to make a long-term offer.
- Lakers continued building their roster Tuesday by adding Kevon Looney on a one-year veteran minimum, bolstering their center rotation behind Kessler after trading Deandre Ayton to Washington.
- Cleveland Cavaliers have also expressed interest in Kuminga but are focused on pursuing a LeBron James reunion, and the source notes James's pending decision could draw other suitors into or out of Kuminga's market over the next week or more.
Why it matters: The Lakers' wing vacancy after losing James and Hachimura makes Kuminga their clearest starting option on a contender roster, but the offer hasn't met his price — he holds leverage as the Hawks retain his Bird Rights while James's pending decision draws attention from multiple teams.
