Jan. 15, 2026, 9:03 p.m. PT

With roughly three weeks to go before the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline, the market is surely about to heat up, especially after Thursday’s news that Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has demanded a trade.

He was engaged in a contract standoff with the Warriors over the summer, which seemingly ended when he agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million deal. But his future with the team was still in some doubt afterward, and now it is clear that he wants to move on.

Numerous teams are interested in Kuminga, and one of them is the Los Angeles Lakers. According to a report by Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka likes what he has seen in the 23-year-old, 6-foot-7 forward.

“As the list of possible Kuminga teams becomes murkier, there is one to keep your eyes on: The Los Angeles Lakers.

“That connection dates back to the summer of Kuminga’s restricted free agency saga. League sources told NBC Sports Bay Area then that the Lakers were a team monitoring Kuminga’s situation and the possibility of him taking the qualifying offer where he’d be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026.

“Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka is a fan of Kuminga’s, sources say, and likes the idea of him as an athletic wing on a Luka Dončić-led team. The Warriors have been aware of the Lakers’ likeness for Kuminga, though it’s unclear how likely an in-season move between the two teams is.”

The Lakers need speed, athleticism, perimeter defense and 3-point shooting. While Kuminga won’t help with their need for more outside shooting (he’s a career 33.1% 3-point shooter), he has the ability to defend at a fairly high level, and he’s averaging 11.8 points in 24.8 minutes a game so far this season.

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Some have considered him a disappointment relative to the expectations people had for him when he was the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft. But he could be an interesting addition to a Lakers team that is looking to take the next step.