Lakers’ Next Move Comes Into Focus After Jonathan Kuminga Setback

With the Jonathan Kuminga saga now officially over, with the 23-year-old forward choosing to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers can finally move on and figure out how they want to make the finishing touches to their revamped roster.

Obviously, not being able to bring in Kuminga and basically replace Rui Hachimura with a solid wing player with a potentially bright future is not ideal, but the Lakers must move on, and their next move might be a bit of a no-brainer.

Lakers Adding Frontcourt Depth is Next Logical Move

According to Khobi Price of The California Post, the Lakers’ next move this summer might simply be adding another big man behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney off the bench.

“If they do make any additions to their roster before training camp starts in a month, it’d likely be big man depth behind Kessler and Kevon Looney, who they signed to a veteran’s minimum contract. They will still need to trim their roster by at least one player by the start of the regular season to become compliant with the league’s rules. Besides that, most of the Lakers’ major moves are behind them.”

Kessler definitely secures the starting center position, which was one of the Lakers' main priorities heading into the NBA offseason, while Looney is a formidable big off the bench. But then things get pretty thin in the frontcourt.

Even though the Lakers were able to bring in Sandro Mamukelashvili this summer, who can play the four or the five, there’s a chance he’s the team’s starting power forward to start the 2026-27 NBA season, meaning they need to bring in another center, especially considering that Kessler and Looney played a combined 26 games last year due to injuries.

Lakers’ Options Left in Free Agency

Dec 18, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward/center Kevin Love (42) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward/guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As of Thursday, one of the Lakers’ best options to bring in some depth in the frontcourt is now off the table, with Nick Richards agreeing to a deal with the Miami Heat. He would’ve been a good fit in Los Angeles, but now the Lakers need to look elsewhere to address that need at center.

Kevin Love is an intriguing option, as he remains unsigned. There was speculation earlier in the summer that he’d finally come to Los Angeles after years of him being linked to the team if LeBron James returned to the Lakers, but obviously that didn’t happen.

However, Love is still there for the taking. He’d provide some rebounding, scoring and shooting off the bench, along with giving the team some much-needed championship experience, which only Looney possesses at this point.

Other notable options include Dwight Powell, Bismack Biyombo, Drew Eubanks, Xavier Tillman and Mason Plumlee.

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