Kuminga's move to the Lakers is increasingly likely! The Hawks are willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade: exchanging Vanderbilt plus a first-round pick swap

As reported by the New York Post on July 9, the Lakers have their eyes on Jonathan Kuminga, and Kuminga also wants to join the Lakers. The latest word is that Atlanta is open to executing this sign-and-trade, with the core structure being: Kuminga heads to LA, the Hawks get Jared Vanderbilt, and the Lakers' 2032 first-round pick swap—the sole first-round asset available for the Lakers to move this offseason.

Vanderbilt signed a four-year, $48 million extension with the Lakers in September 2023, with two years and a total of $25.7 million remaining on his contract; his salary for the 2026-27 season is $12.4 million, and for 2027-28 it is $13.3 million with a player option.

Sources told the Post that the Lakers are willing to part ways with Vanderbilt and could also trade other players on the roster to create more flexibility in building the team.

Previous reports indicated that in the blueprint the Lakers presented to recruit Kuminga, they envisioned him as a top-tier starting wing who would complement the rebuild centered around superstar guard Luka Doncic.

That construction plan originally included two main objectives: re-signing Austin Reaves and acquiring a star center in the offseason. Both moves have now been completed: Reaves signed a four-year, $185 million deal to stay with the Lakers, and the Lakers secured Walker Kessler on a four-year, $130 million contract via a sign-and-trade with the Jazz. However, the initial offer the Lakers made to Kuminga fell far short of the vision they had laid out.

At the start of the offseason, the Lakers had roughly $52 million in cap space, but on July 2 they finalized several signings that significantly consumed it: Kessler, Grimes (four years, $60 million), Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million), and Sexton (two years, $19 million).

Subsequently, the Lakers traded Ayton to the Wizards, receiving Hardy and two second-round picks from Washington in 2031 and 2032, freeing up about $2.1 million in cap space. However, the team then signed Looney to a one-year, $3.9 million veteran minimum deal, which only counted $2.49 million against the cap, nearly wiping out the remaining space.

At this point, the Lakers have only one roster spot left, with very limited cap flexibility, yet they are still pursuing Kuminga. Over the past week, while the Lakers completed multiple transactions, Pelinka maintained communication with Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, the president of VaynerSports. The Lakers have raised their offer several times, with the highest coming in at an average annual value of around $10 million.

That offer still falls well short of the expectations the Lakers previously set for Kuminga. Last offseason, the Lakers already pursued Kuminga when he was a restricted free agent. Kuminga’s camp believes that if he chooses the Lakers, he could secure a much better contract.

Therefore, the most feasible way for the Lakers to land Kuminga is to complete a sign-and-trade with the Hawks. Through this method, Kuminga can earn a higher salary than if he signed directly with the Lakers as an unrestricted free agent. Additional reports indicate that the Cleveland Cavaliers have also expressed strong interest in Kuminga.