Inside the Lakers' Interest in Jonathan Kuminga, and Why D'Angelo Russell's Market Is Heating Up

The Lakers have called about Jonathan Kuminga again, and this time the interest looks more serious than a routine offseason check-in. Golden State’s young forward remains unsigned as restricted free agency drags into late August, and Los Angeles has positioned itself as one of the few teams with both the assets and the motivation to make a real offer.

Why the Lakers Keep Coming Back

Kuminga’s fit with Los Angeles has been debated since last season, mostly around spacing and how his game complements the roster’s veteran core. Front offices don’t keep calling about a player they’ve written off, though, and the Lakers have reportedly stayed engaged even as talks with other suitors have cooled. The appeal is straightforward: a 23-year-old forward with two-way tools that few rosters can simply find in free agency, at a price that a sign-and-trade could make workable for both sides involved.

D’Angelo Russell’s Market Adds Another Layer

Russell’s own free agency situation complicates the picture further. He remains unsigned as the market for combo guards continues to sort itself out, and any team involved in Kuminga talks is also weighing whether Russell fits on the same roster or becomes a separate transaction entirely. Teams rarely resolve two intertwined situations on the same day, which is part of why this has dragged into the back half of August without a resolution in sight.

What Comes Next

Restricted free agency has a way of resolving itself once training camp deadlines start applying real pressure, and neither Golden State nor Kuminga’s camp has an incentive to let this stretch deep into September. Expect movement, in one direction or another, before rosters need to be finalized. Whether that movement sends him to Los Angeles or keeps him in the Bay Area, the next two weeks should answer a question that has stayed open since the spring.

The broader Western Conference is watching too. Several marquee names around the league are still working through their own summer situations, from extension talks to lingering trade fits, and how the Kuminga and Russell dominoes fall will shape how other front offices approach their own remaining business before camps open. A conference this competitive rarely lets one team’s roster decision stay isolated for long, and the Lakers know that better than most given how closely their own moves get scrutinized around the league.