The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to several players leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, including Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, “virtually every defensive wing on the market” has been tied to the Lakers, including Kuminga, Derrick Jones Jr. of the Los Angeles Clippers and Isaac Okoro of the Chicago Bulls.
Woike added that the Lakers have also expressed interest in Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall and Brooklyn Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe. However, it is believed the Mavs may not be willing to do business with the Lakers again after coming out on the wrong end of the Luka Dončić trade last season.
Dating back to the offseason, few players have been the subject of more trade rumors than Kuminga.
The Warriors ultimately signed Kuminga to a two-year, $46.8 million deal with a club option for 2026-27, but it has become clear that he doesn’t have much of a future in Golden State.
After averaging a career-high 16.1 points per game in 2023-24 and then 15.3 points per game last season, Kuminga’s scoring and playing time have dipped significantly this season.
In 20 games, Kuminga is averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 rebounds, while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from beyond the arc over 23.8 minutes per contest.
Kuminga is currently on the shelf with a bone bruise in his knee, and he has missed the Warriors’ past five games. With the trade deadline approaching, it is possible he has played his final game for the Dubs.
L.A. would be a logical landing spot for Kuminga since the Lakers could use a player of his ilk with athleticism, defensive capability and scoring chops to lend support to the core of Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
According to Woike, league sources have viewed the Lakers as a candidate to pull off a notable move at the deadline, but the path to making it happen has gotten narrower.
That is because the Lakers have shown “significant reluctance” to eat into the salary cap space that can be created by the expiring contracts of James, Maxi Kleber and Gabe Vincent during the offseason.
Some NBA executives have told Woike they believe the Lakers are willing to move their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick if the right opportunity comes along, but it remains to be seen if that will happen.
Depending on the cost, Kuminga could be an ideal addition as a rental since there is a club option in his contract for next season, meaning the Lakers can let him walk to free agency.
At 30-19, the Lakers are fifth in the Western Conference and in the thick of the playoff race, but it feels like they may need to add a piece or two in order to truly contend with the Western Conference’s elite teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets.