LAS VEGAS – The Lakers want Jonathan Kuminga.
Jonathan Kuminga also wants to become a Laker.
But as of Wednesday afternoon, more than a week after the start of free agency, the two sides remained far apart on what it would take to bring the 23-year-old to Los Angeles despite mutual interest.
After the Hawks declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option on June 29, Lakers president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick met with Kuminga the next day.
Part of the Lakers’ free court against Kuminga is that the Lakers view Kuminga as a high-level starting winger who will complement the vision of rebuilding their roster around star guard Luka Doncic, a source told the California Post.
That vision included re-signing Austin Reeves and landing a prominent center this offseason — both of which were implemented after Reeves agreed to a four-year, $185 million deal to return to Los Angeles, and the Lakers agreed to a four-year, $130 million contract with Walker Kesler in a sign-and-trade deal with the Jazz.
But the Lakers’ initial offer to Kuminga did not support the vision they were presenting to him.
From there, the Lakers, who entered the offseason with about $52 million in salary cap space, agreed to deals with several players on July 2 that took up that cap space: Kesler, Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million), Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million) and Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million).
Since then, they opened up more cap space (about $2.1 million) by trading Deandre Ayton to the Wizards for Jaden Hardy and a pair of Washington’s second-round picks (2031 and 2032) but that cap space essentially disappeared when they agreed to terms on a one-year, $3.9 million contract with Kevon Looney that is $2.49 million against the cap since it’s a veteran minimum deal.
That left the Lakers with one open roster spot and little financial flexibility while still pursuing Kuminga. Pelinka has remained in contact with Kuminga’s agent, Verus Management Team president Aaron Turner, over the past week as the franchise made its moves.
The Lakers improved their offers to Kuminga to a deal that includes an average annual salary of about $10 million, which is less than the salaries of Grimes ($13.9 million) and Mamukelashvili ($13 million).
And less than expected for the Lakers’ vision for Kuminga, whom the Lakers were pursuing as a restricted free agent last summer.
Team Kuminga feels there are better options for Kuminga if he joins the Lakers.
The main option that could help the Lakers acquire Kuminga: sign-and-trade with the Hawks, which would allow Kuminga to command a higher salary than the Lakers can offer him as an unrestricted free agent.
A source told The Post that the Hawks are willing to execute a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers in the context of Kuminga going to Los Angeles and the Hawks receiving Jared Vanderbilt and trading the Lakers’ 2032 first-round pick — the only option the Lakers have to trade a first-round pick this summer.
Vanderbilt has two years and $25.7 million remaining on the four-year, $48 million contract extension he signed with the Lakers in September 2023. He has a $12.4 million salary for 2026-27 and a $13.3 million player option for 2027-28.
The Lakers were willing to trade Vanderbilt, according to multiple sources who spoke with the newspaper and were granted anonymity so they could speak freely, as well as other players on the roster in order to create more roster-building options.
The Cavaliers have also expressed interest in Kuminga, a source said.
The Lakers are expected to be $33.7 million short of the $209 million first apron threshold they were capped at one time, and all of the moves they’ve agreed to so far are official.