​Earlier this week, Khobi Price of the California Post noted that the Los Angeles Lakers and forward Jonathan Kuminga have mutual interest, and that the Atlanta Hawks, Kuminga’s former team, are open to a sign-and-trade arrangement. Price reported that the Hawks are willing to pursue a deal framed around Jarred Vanderbilt and a 2032 first-round pick swap coming from Los Angeles. But NBA insider Jake Fischer countered with a different take on The Stein Line Substack. He wrote that while the Lakers hope to land Kuminga in a deal centered on Vanderbilt and a pick swap, Atlanta is seeking more than what the Lakers can currently offer, and that a third team could need to be involved.
“While Kuminga and his representatives have held ongoing dialogue with the Lakers about a potential role alongside Luka Dončić, sources say that the Hawks are seeking more than the Lakers can offer to this point,” Fischer wrote. “It’s believed that the Lakers hope to package their lone tradeable first-round pick swap left over in 2032 along with Jarred Vanderbilt in a sign-and-trade proposal for Kuminga. Sources say Atlanta, however, has not considered taking back Vanderbilt in a deal that sends out Kuminga.”
Fischer added that multi-team scenarios exist that the Lakers could pursue to move Vanderbilt to a different destination than Atlanta. Such moves could enable the Lakers to present Kuminga with a package richer than the two-year, $20 million contract they are currently believed to have offered him. “While Kuminga would naturally be hoping for a richer deal than that, I’m told that the 23-year-old scorer is indeed open to various contract structures below his 2025-26 season salary of $22.5 million depending on what sort of sign-and-trade scenarios materialize from known suitors such as the Lakers and Cavaliers.”
The clearest takeaway on Kuminga’s future is that if he leaves Atlanta, it will almost certainly be through a sign-and-trade rather than a move grounded in cap space. Vanderbilt, a versatile defender and capable rebounder, is a relatively limited offensive player who is due $12.4 million for the 2026-27 season. Consequently, Los Angeles is reportedly eager to move him, given the valuation concerns surrounding his contract and the perception of his value.
Kuminga, who has his own guardrails and questions—namely his 3-point shooting consistency and questions about focus, attitude, and desire—remains an athletically explosive prospect with the potential to become an elite defender and a strong finisher in transition. At 23 years old, he is still young enough to develop, and his five NBA seasons have produced career averages of 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in 22.1 minutes of playing time. Kuminga was involved in the high-profile deal that sent Kristaps Porziņģis from the Hawks to the Atlanta side, after he had been with the Golden State Warriors, where he won a championship in 2022, in a February trade.
This summary reflects the evolving rumor landscape surrounding Kuminga’s future, including the tension between the Lakers’ pursuit and Atlanta’s stated willingness to move him only if the return meets their criteria. The potential for a multi-team deal remains, with the possibility of restructuring contracts and swapping picks as central elements of any path forward. This report originated from LeBron Wire and highlights the ongoing debate about whether Kuminga’s next destination will be a straightforward sign-and-trade with the Hawks’ involvement or a more complex, multi-team arrangement that could alter the value of the pieces involved for all sides.