Lakers' Pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga Takes Major Turn

After making a flurry of moves to start NBA free agency earlier this week, the Los Angeles Lakers may not be done, as the team could be on the verge of adding a significant piece to its roster.

The Lakers have two priorities moving forward, which are adding a backup center following the Deandre Ayton trade and signing another wing.

Lakers Make Signing Jonathan Kuminga ‘Significant Priority’

Although Rui Hachimura remains unsigned and may still be an option for the Lakers, the storied franchise reportedly has made signing Jonathan Kuminga a priority, according to Khobi Price of The California Post.

On the wings, the Lakers are still exploring adding Jonathan Kuminga to their roster. Kuminga is drawing interest from other teams, but the unrestricted free agent forward is a significant priority for the Lakers.

With Kuminga becoming a priority, it’s safe to assume that the prospect of Hachimura returning to the team is unlikely, to say the least.

Rui Hachimura's Time With Lakers Appears to Be Over

NBA insider Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report made that abundantly clear on Saturday.

“Rui Hachimura, to my understanding, is not a priority to the Lakers,” Fischer said. … “It just does not appear like the Lakers are looking to bring Rui back at all.”

If this turns out to be true, the youth movement in Los Angeles continues, with Kuminga being significantly younger than the veteran sharpshooter. Hachimura (28) is five years older than Kuminga (23), which could be part of the reason he’s the priority over the Japanese forward.

It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Kuminga over the past couple of years, as he basically forced his way out of San Francisco. The Golden State Warriors traded Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks ahead of the NBA trade deadline last season, but he didn’t play much with his new team due to a knee issue, suiting up for only 16 regular-season games for the Hawks before having his team option ($24.3 million) declined recently, making him an unrestricted free agent.

So even though Kuminga is the younger and more athletic option, who is arguably a better defender than Hachimura, he still comes with concerns. Health, obviously, is No. 1, as he hasn’t played more than 47 games over the past two seasons.

If the Lakers can get Kuminga on a cheap deal, which would likely need to be the case for Los Angeles, it could turn out to be one of the best moves of the team’s offseason. It’s a low-risk, high-reward situation, and may add another important piece alongside superstar Luka Doncic.

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