Lakers ‘Keep Calling’ Jonathan Kuminga With Intriguing Pitch

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to pursue the 23-year-old forward with an intriguing pitch despite facing significant roster and salary-cap hurdles.

Mar 1, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) dunks against the Portland Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After acquiring center Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz earlier this month, the Los Angeles Lakers wasted no time in filling out the rest of the roster, especially with LeBron James letting the team know that he intends to play elsewhere next season.

The Lakers went on to add Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Jaden Hardy, Kevon Looney, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and rookie Cameron Carr to the roster.

With all those additions, the bulk of the work is done for general manager Rob Pelinka and the revamped front office, but there’s still some work to do, including the team still trying to figure out how to bring in Jonathan Kuminga.

Lakers ‘Keep Calling’ Free Agent Jonathan Kuminga

According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, the Lakers haven’t stopped their pursuit of Kuminga, with the team dangling the opportunity to be a starter in Los Angeles, potentially.

The Lakers "keep calling Jonathan Kuminga," per @anthonyVslater.pic.twitter.com/Q3mrq8rSXL

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) July 23, 2026

“I can tell you that they keep calling Jonathan Kuminga,” Slater said. “Obviously they have not made a lucrative enough offer for Kuminga to jump. But part of their pitch has been, ‘Hey, you can come start here potentially.’”

At this point in the free agency process, Kuminga’s options are extremely limited, with most teams around the league exhausting their salary cap space and simply not having the room to add the 23-year-old high flyer.

Even the Lakers would find it challenging to bring in the one-time NBA champion, as the team already needs to make a move to clear a roster spot to add Thybulle after he recently agreed to a one-year deal at the veteran minimum.

That said, the Lakers would likely have to make a trade to shed salary and a couple of roster spots to sign Kuminga. A sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks seemed like the most logical option, but that might not be as realistic now after the Lu Dort trade and Atlanta’s reluctance to take on Jarred Vanderbilt’s contract.

Lakers Remain Interested in Adding Another Big Man

Along with Kuminga still being a player of interest for the Lakers, Los Angeles wants to bolster the frontcourt with another big man. 

The market is getting thinner and thinner by the day in terms of bigs that might fit the bill for the Lakers, but there are some intriguing options out there, with Nick Richards potentially being at the top of the list for the storied NBA franchise.

Clearly, the Lakers aren’t done; they’ll have to get creative moving forward to clear roster spots and open up cap space.

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