Whenever the Los Angeles Lakers have cap space and are competitive, they’re usually mentioned as a landing spot for the top players in free agency. Jonathan Kuminga has been no exception this offseason.
Yet, like LeBron James, three weeks after free agency tipped off, Kuminga is still unsigned. Only with James, it’s not about finances, whereas with Kuminga, money appears to be the biggest reason he remains up for grabs.
Lakers’ Pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga Hits Roadblock Over Steep Asking Price
Kuminga arrived as the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft with the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time he has lingered on the free-agency market longer than expected.
It happened just last year when Kuminga tested the waters as a restricted free agent but found no takers before returning to the Bay Area on a two-year, $48.5 million contract. The Warriors offloaded him to the Atlanta Hawks less than five months later. Once the offseason arrived, the Hawks declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option.
Now, he appears to be seeking a similar salary, but mutual interest has yet to materialize.
According to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha, who appeared on FS1’s “The Herd” on Monday, Kuminga had a team in Los Angeles interested in signing him. However, the Lakers were only willing to offer roughly half of the salary he is seeking.
“The Lakers, my understanding was they could’ve cleared about $10 million in cap space to sign him to a two-year, $20 million deal, which would’ve been $10 million per season, and he was not interested in that. I’ve heard he’s been looking for closer to $20M AAV. … There’s a gap,” Buha said.
“The Lakers could’ve signed him to a 2 year, $20M deal. He was not interested in that. I’ve heard he’s been looking for closer to $20M AAV… There’s a gap”@jasonrmcintyre and @jovanbuha on what’s holding up Jonathan Kuminga to the Lakers pic.twitter.com/H8lKBDWu8s
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 20, 2026
The sizable gap in contract negotiations, to this point, has been a dealbreaker for Kuminga. After making roughly $23.8 million last season, he is having a hard time accepting such a significant pay cut, even from a storied franchise like the Lakers.
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Buha added that even the Hawks have seemingly made plans to move forward without Kuminga by adding several players to their roster. In essence, there may no longer be a fit for Kuminga in Atlanta, either. However, he didn’t rule out the team helping facilitate a sign-and-trade to collect second-round draft compensation.
Still, after playing in just 36 games last season, teams may want to see the 23-year-old prove he can remain more durable throughout the course of an 82-game campaign rather than simply flash his talent in short stints.
Availability is an asset, too, and Kuminga hasn’t played in more than 47 contests in either of the past two seasons. That can’t be helping him at the negotiation table.
