It has been a busy offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers, with several new players joining the team as they try to make up for the loss of LeBron James, who informed the Lakers he would be playing in a different uniform next season.
The Lakers have announced several signings and they traded for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, but they aren’t done making moves. They have recently been connected to former Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga.
However, talks with Kuminga’s camp have reportedly stalled, and the Lakers reached an agreement with another veteran forward, Matisse Thybulle, on Monday afternoon.
Lakers Sign Matisse Thybulle While Jonathan Kuminga Talks Stall
Signing Thybulle makes a lot of sense for the Lakers.
Although they have already agreed to an extension with Austin Reaves and traded for Kessler, as well as signing Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, the Lakers wanted to add another player who could defend on the wing. They did that by adding Thybulle on a one-year deal worth $3.3 million, as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Free agent forward Matisse Thybulle has agreed on one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/h1JCsx1e6h
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 20, 2026
Thybulle played in just 30 games last season, averaging 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in 16.0 minutes per game.
If healthy, Thybulle could be a signing that really pays off. In 2021 and 2022, Thybulle was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team and is known for his active hands, leading the league in steals per 36 minutes last season.
That raises the question: are the Lakers still in the mix for Kuminga, and where will he wind up?
Despite agreeing to a new deal with the Warriors last offseason after he was unable to find a home as a restricted free agent, Kuminga was later dealt to the Hawks before the 2026 trade deadline in a trade that sent Kristaps Porziņģis to the Warriors.
Kuminga and the Hawks were hopeful a change of scenery could help the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 draft realize his potential, but it did not work out that way. In 16 games with the Hawks, Kuminga made one start. He put up just 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 23.1 minutes per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
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Still, Kuminga is just 23 years old and has untapped potential, and he may be the most talented player they have a realistic chance of acquiring at this point.
“The Athletic has reported on the Lakers’ interest in free agent Jonathan Kuminga since late June, but it appears that momentum has stalled with the sides far apart on terms and L.A. not overly motivated to push significant draft capital into sign-and-trade scenarios,” writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. “Still, he appears to be the biggest upside play left on the table, and could re-emerge as a target if his market remains tepid. Cleveland, according to league sources, is the team most-often connected to Kuminga other than the Lakers.”
If the Lakers can get Kuminga on a cheaper deal, and that is clearly a big if considering Kuminga is still unsigned and the sides are reportedly far apart, he could be one of the better bargain signings of the offseason.
It will be interesting to see whether they can finalize a deal or whether the addition of Thybulle signals the Lakers are planning to move on without Kuminga.
