Lakers 'most active' in Kuminga talks, offer starting role
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- Los Angeles Lakers have a glaring hole on the wing after LeBron James and Rui Hachimura departed this summer, creating urgency to add a high-upside perimeter player.
- Lakers GM Rob Pelinka reached out to Jonathan Kuminga's camp when free agency opened, and the Lakers are now the 'most active' team in talks, per ESPN, also checking back in after tying up most of their cap space.
- The Lakers are pitching Kuminga on a potential starting role next to Dončić and Reaves as their main selling point, though their offer isn't yet strong enough for Kuminga to accept.
- Atlanta Hawks declined Kuminga's $24.3 million team option, making him an unrestricted free agent for the first time, while last summer's primary suitors — Phoenix (traded for Miles Bridges) and Sacramento (facing a cap crunch) — are no longer in position to make a long-term offer.
- Cleveland Cavaliers have also expressed interest in Kuminga but are currently focused on a LeBron James reunion, meaning Kuminga's camp could benefit by waiting for James-dejected teams to redirect their attention to him.
- Lakers center depth got a veteran-minimum boost on Tuesday with a one-year deal for Kevon Looney, slotting behind newly acquired Walker Kessler after the Deandre Ayton-to-Washington trade.
Why it matters: For a second straight summer, Kuminga faces a thin market — Atlanta declined his $24.3M option and his prior top suitors (Suns, Kings) have moved on — leaving the Lakers' starting-role pitch as arguably his clearest path to real minutes and a future contract bounce. With LeBron's free agency still unresolved, teams that miss out on James could redirect their attention to Kuminga later this offseason.
