Lakers’ Path to Jonathan Kuminga Just Got Much More Interesting

After the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Peyton Watson in a five-team trade, the Los Angeles Lakers may have its best opportunity yet to land the talented young forward.

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

The Los Angeles Lakers franchise is no stranger to drama on and off the basketball floor, and this NBA offseason is no different.

All the attention right now regarding the storied franchise is about the shocking turn of events, with Mark Walter agreeing to sell the team after only 14 months, followed by an incredibly messy situation between the Buss family and longtime Lakers governor Jeanie Buss.

Although all talk about the team being sold and everything Jeanie Buss is trying to do to remain the team’s governor, the Lakers still need to address their roster ahead of the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, with rumors still swirling about the team wanting to bring in Jonathan Kuminga.

Jonathan Kuminga Sweepstakes Takes a Promising Turn for the Lakers

Most teams in the NBA are already done making substantial moves during the NBA offseason, outside of adding players on veteran minimum contracts and bringing in players for training camp and the preseason.

However, the Kuminga sweepstakes has been ongoing for quite some time, with still no resolution for the Lakers or any other interested teams. That took a massive turn this week, with the Cleveland Cavaliers deciding to pull the trigger on a sign-and-trade to acquire Peyton Watson in a five-team deal.

Jan 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) controls the ball under pressure from Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia (12) in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Denver Nuggets decided to move on from Watson, who was a restricted free agent, much like Walker Kessler was before landing with the Lakers. The massive deal was fairly complicated, as the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards got involved, with Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, Cam Whitmore, Ismael Kamagate, Julian Reese and Tre Mann changing teams.

Before making this trade, the Cavs were among a handful of teams reportedly interested in Kuminga, and perhaps the biggest threat to the Lakers acquiring the soon-to-be 24-year-old.

What the Peyton Watson Trade Means for the Lakers

With Watson now off the table and set to share the floor with Donovan Mitchell and company in Cleveland, Kuminga’s immediate future has been thrust into the spotlight once again. 

The Lakers are in the middle of another regime change and a chaotic situation with the Buss family, which might take months to get settled, but now the door is open for a potentially big move for Los Angeles.

As of right now, the starting lineup for the Lakers is anything but set, with only Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler being locks to be in head coach JJ Redick’s first five to start the season.

Smart money says Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili will be the two other starters, but if the Lakers figure out a way to land Kuminga, he’d likely be a starter and would play a big role on the squad for the foreseeable future.

That said, longtime general manager Rob Pelinka and the team’s front office are likely working the phones trying to get a deal done. Kuminga could be an ideal piece for the new-look Lakers, as he could take his game to another level playing alongside Doncic in Los Angeles.

Kuminga is a high-flying lob threat that would add another scorer into the mix as well as a player who might help improve this squad defensively. He’s anything but a finished product, needing to improve in a few different areas, like outside shooting, but could be a key piece to the puzzle if he turns out to be an ideal fit for this team.

Lakers Should Check in on Cam Johnson if Nuggets Punt on Next Season

With the Nuggets making the surprising move to tradeWatson to the Cavs, Denver could be signaling that the team built around three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic is punting on the 2026-27 campaign, meaning other players in Denver could be available.

One player that could be a very intriguing trade target for the Lakers is Cam Johnson. He checks a lot of boxes, and even though he’s older (30) than Kuminga (23), he’s the type of 3-and-D wing Los Angeles has been looking for this summer.

Obviously, Denver has to be open to trading Johnson, which hasn’t been the case thus far, but that might’ve changed because it was a bit surprising to see them move Watson, especially considering they only got draft capital in return.

Timing Not Ideal Amid Lakers Minicamp

Luka Doncic and his Lakers teammates have officially made the trip overseas for the team’s minicamp in Slovenia, which makes the timing of a potential trade a little awkward, to say the least.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht and Bronny James have all been mentioned as trade candidates in rumors that have circulated over the past month or so, and all of them are in Slovenia.

Lakers are headed to Ljubljana ✈️ pic.twitter.com/WZ1ESlAFBD

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 20, 2026

Even though it’s not a great look for the Lakers to make a move over the weekend, which could force some of those players back home to finalize the deal, Pelinka and company should jump on the opportunity if it’s there, whether it be landing Kuminga or Johnson.

It’ll be interesting to see where the Kuminga sweepstakes go from here and if a deal gets done sooner rather than later, with the young wing potentially suiting up for the Lakers next season.

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