2026-27 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

Yeah I'm more and more out of Kuminga. I just think he will come with the wrong mindset. Only way it could work is us giving him +20M per year on a 3y contract. But I'm not seeing that happening. And even that could backfire if he think he's an all star and wants a max or 40m+ plus in his career.

Because if he comes for a year or with unguaranteed money, he's going to play for that contract and that comes at the expense of the role we need him to play. Scoring needs to be the 3rd or so worry in his head, but if he's playing for a contract it will be his first.

Demanding around 20M after a few years without ever settling as a starting caliber player, worries me. He's not looking to bet on himself but rather believes he's already that type of player and that's just wrong.

During the downtime I started getting excited with the prospect of Cam Johnson. He's a low maintenance guy, young but with experience, that knows exactly his role and will come to play it. He's a very good fit with the current group, not just because he's white. He has a relationship with JJ too from the Old Man pod group.
Although as an expiring I'd expect Denver to be able to find other suitors, but maybe not and we could get him. I think he can also be a guy we can lock for multiple years at a lower AAV as a starter/top bench piece.

Vando is the first name thrown in such a trade, but I think Denver would accept a similar non-Vando package we would throw for Kuminga. Maybe Jake goes there, that they can use to continue competitive and save a bunch of money with Hardy and Knecht being sent to other teams. A bit harder to do because we'd need 2 teams to dump them but still doable as they are low salaries and I imagine similar conversations already happened in the Kuminga deal.

Fearing that both Kuminga, Watson and Duren will extend this offseason until end of August though. But we are already good enough to be able to wait for all those chips to fall

 

I am firmly in "screw Bazinga" camp.

 

Lakers Should Pivot From Jonathan Kuminga to Intriguing Trade Target
The Los Angeles Lakers need to move on from their pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga and try to trade for this veteran 3-and-D wing.
Ryan Ward

Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have been as active as any team in the NBA this summer, with the storied franchise entering rebuild mode following the departure of LeBron James and the intention of putting the right talent around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

As a result of the moves made, Doncic and Reaves will be practically playing with a new squad, led by the acquisition of Walker Kessler and the signings of Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, Kevon Looney, and the drafting of Cameron Carr.

Even though the team is over the maximum of 15 players, it isn’t done making moves, with rumors still swirling about the Lakers being linked to Jonathan Kuminga and wanting to add another big man to the frontcourt.

Lakers Need to Pivot From Jonathan Kuminga to Cameron Johnson
Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic
Mar 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson (23) controls the ball while under pressure from Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With the pursuit of Kuminga seemingly getting more and more complicated each day, the Lakers should head in another direction, with Cameron Johnson of the Denver Nuggets potentially there for the taking.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Nuggets have been getting several calls from teams interested in trading for Johnson.

Numerous teams have called the Denver Nuggets hoping they’d be willing to dump forward Cam Johnson, who’s owed $23.06 million in the final year of his contract, but those inquiries have been rebuffed, league sources told HoopsHype.
Although neither the Lakers nor any other team is directly mentioned by Scotto, Los Angeles should at least explore trading for Johnson.

Kuminga is the younger option at 23 compared to Johnson, who is 30, and the youth movement seems to be the way the Lakers are going right now, but the one-time NBA champion comes with red flags, with both the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks giving up on him.

Plus, Kuminga seems determined to sign a massive contract, either this summer or in the near future, which might not be the wisest move by Rob Pelinka and company

https://www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi/...m-jonathan-kuminga-to-intriguing-trade-target

 

I've been seeing some content on that the past couple days. Makes sense, but people are adament that Denver absolutely won't trade with us. So maybe we need to look elsewhere?

Proabably that Kuzma/Sims type of deal. Kuzma would just act as a placeholder for whenever Thoero and/or Kaluma are ready.

 

I mean with the names being tossed around of Richards, Jalen Smith, and Cam......as long as we can pull off the right trade........I think it's worth the pivot.

 

How is Jalen Smith vs. power-forwards?

 

No,Hezonja and Cleveland still trying to get a deal

According to insider Mark Stein, the Madrid club is in no hurry to let the forward go because it believes that the player has not fulfilled the conditions of the return option NBA. Hezonja had until 20 July to leave «Real Madrid», however an agreement with «Cavaliers» was not reached until 26 July.

At the same time «Cleveland» continues to work on completing the deal and expects to sign the Croatian forward.
Nothing to do with Dubai which is also playing in Euro league like Real

 

i'm still all in on kuminga. i don't think him wanting 20 per is unreasonable, tbh. i disagree that he hasn't shown anything, and i could still imagine him turning into a player that people think is worth 20-25 per (starting caliber). again, i'm not sure he hasn't proven that he's starting caliber already. steve kerr didn't like his fit with how he likes to do things is all.

anyway, it's looking like that ship may be sailing, as i think the real issue is that we haven't been able to get an offer much higher than mle-ish. sounds like we can get a team to bite on laravia or hardy into space, but not another team to also eat knecht--or it takes too much draft capital, and probably nobody will take vando for basically anything we have to offer. that's ok; he's expiring next year, and we can do that dance again from a better position.

i also understand kuminga wanting to wait things out. he's not wrong that something could shake loose on the market, perhaps creating a TE somewhere that could fit the salary he wants in a place that wants him. it may not be highly likely, but i don't for a second believe denver isn't trying to shed some pretty big salary right now, and even if they're not, the resolution of watson (and perhaps mathurin's) RFA stuff could also create some fallout via multi-team S&Ts.


i also hold out little hope we could get johnson. getting to his number, like kuminga, will involve third and even fourth team involvement (again, i'm assuming vando's going nowhere), AND you have denver wanting to not help us at all.