​Collin Sexton’s two-year, $19 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers is officially in the books, effectively closing the door on a straight sign-and-trade to land Jonathan Kuminga. The Lakers still view Kuminga as their preferred solution at small forward, but a prominent NBA insider believes the momentum behind a deal is beginning to wane. During Sunday’s Bleacher Report livestream from NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Jake Fischer offered a cautious update on the Lakers’ pursuit of the 23-year-old forward, suggesting that negotiations have cooled even as Los Angeles maintains its interest.
“The Lakers continue to be connected to Jonathan Kuminga, but the longer they don’t come to an agreement on a deal — with Kuminga’s representation — it does kind of seem like the iron is losing its hotness,” Fischer said, admitting the metaphor might be a bit awkward. He stressed that Kuminga remains the Lakers’ top choice to occupy the wing spot, though.
“We bumped into someone yesterday who’s familiar with the situation and who talked about the Lakers’ excitement for what Collin Sexton can bring on the perimeter defensively, but they’re clearly still looking at Jonathan Kuminga as their starting wing,” Fischer added. If a deal isn’t reached, Kuminga has a wide array of alternatives.
“So if that deal doesn’t come to fruition, Kuminga does have several other options on the table, including going back to Atlanta,” Fischer noted.
The Lakers formally announced Collin Sexton’s two-year, $19 million contract, a move that also reshapes the team’s salary-cap picture and potentially limits future roster moves. Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane observed on X that Sexton’s signing has pushed the club above the salary cap, leaving limited avenues for further upgrades unless they pursue trades or veteran minimum signings. Lane wrote that adding another piece to the roster would likely require a trade or a veteran minimum signing given the cap situation.
Following Lane’s assessment, Lakers Nation’s Daniel Starkand pointed out that the previously reported Kuminga contract framework—specifically a two-year, $20 million offer—no longer appeared feasible. Starkand suggested a sign-and-trade would be necessary to pursue Kuminga under the current cap conditions.
These developments mark a notable shift from where negotiations stood less than a week ago. The Sexton signing has cleared up the Lakers’ expense framework in one sense, but it simultaneously narrows the path to acquiring Kuminga outright. With Sexton now part of the team, the Lakers’ focus appears to be balancing the new perimeter defense capabilities Sexton provides with the potential of Kuminga as a long-term wing option, all while navigating the cap implications that shape how the rest of the roster can be built.