Is Kuminga unsuitable for the Lakers? The 2-for-1 trade is a reluctant backup plan: Hachimura also struggles to fit into the Warriors' system

On January 16th Beijing time, several media sources revealed that the Lakers have been paying close attention to Kuminga. CBS Sports, a reputable U.S. sports outlet, provided an analysis suggesting Kuminga does not suit the Lakers. The detailed reasoning is as follows—

Earlier reports mentioned that the Lakers were on the list of possible destinations for Kuminga, a piece of news that caught many off guard. However, after careful thought, this is quite reasonable. The Lakers currently are not willing to give up any truly valuable assets. They are in the final phase of the LeBron James era and are waiting for this summer to rebuild their roster using three tradable first-round picks and over $50 million in salary cap space.

The Lakers will neither relinquish draft picks nor take on long-term contractsIf they do make a trade, it will essentially be a lateral move—exchanging expiring contracts from their roster for expiring contracts from other teams, ideally acquiring players who can fill the technical gaps in their current lineup. Kuminga’s contract next season is a team option, which effectively makes it an expiring contract.

Therefore, the potential trade scenario might look like this:The Lakers trade Hachimura and Knecht for KumingaHachimura’s three-point shooting ability could make him more effective alongside Green and Butler, while Kuminga would bring the Lakers the athleticism they urgently need.

But does this trade truly solve the problems for both teams? The answer is no.The Lakers require more than just athleticism; they need a player who can translate that into defense, off-ball cutting, and disruptive energy on the court—areas where Kuminga falls short. Meanwhile, the Warriors need outside shooting, but Hachimura tends to be a ball-stopper, a player type that struggles to find a role in the Warriors’ system.

For both teams, this would be a reluctant fallback trade. It seems more like a move to create some activity before the trade deadline rather than a genuine upgrade. However, if no better options present themselves, it might be worth considering.