Jonathan Kuminga is a decent player; he has had pretty consistent numbers throughout his career and is the type of player that a lot of teams could use, but for some reason, teams do not want to pay him what he is worth. Kuminga and his Agent, Aaron Turner, Founder of Versus Sports, are currently seeking $20 million a year, but this deal has only garnered interest from 2 teams.
The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly offered Jonathan Kuminga a 2-year, $20 million deal, with Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick personally meeting up with Kuminga to discuss the role he would have if he came to play in the Purple and Gold. Both sides were happy after this meeting, and Kuminga himself said he was “excited” to play for the Lakers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Favourites To Sign Kuminga
A week after the Lakers started dealing with Jonathan Kuminga, a new contender came into the mix, with a much better asking price. Not only did the Cavaliers offer him a “big role” in Cleveland, but also a contract worth much closer to what he was seeking, thus becoming the favourites in the Kuminga race.
Although the Cavaliers-Kuminga deal has an extremely high probability of happening, Kuminga is not expected to be signed for the time being. This is due to the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that has the highest chance of signing Kuminga, is also in the race for one of the NBA’s greatest players.
Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly a high priority for the Cavaliers, per the Athletics’ Dan Woike, but Cleveland’s highest priority after re-signing Donovan Mitchell to a historic 4-year, $273 million maximum contract extension is LeBron James, even going as far as to delay James Harden’s extension and offer him far less than he wanted.
Every person involved with the Cavaliers, from the front office to the players, agrees that signing LeBron James deserves the utmost attention, putting off everything else for the time being to further pursue the hometown superstar. Reports indicate that James Harden and Donovan Mitchell are “heavily” recruiting James to join them, and for a good reason.
During the 2026 Playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the world by taking down the Detroit Pistons, the best team in the Eastern Conference, in Game 7 of the East Semis to move on to their 1st Conference Finals since 1992 without LeBron James, a major accomplishment for the Post-LeBron Cavs.
Jonathan Kuminga Can Not Find A Long-Term Home That Values Him…
So where does that leave the Lakers in terms of signing him? Well, since Los Angeles believes that he is worth around $10 million annually, and with a lack of Salary Cap left, the deal stagnated. This is a huge blow for the Lakers, as adding an athletic all-around forward like Jonathan Kuminga next to Luka Doncic is a cheat code.
Perhaps it is the extensive injury background of Jonathan that scares teams from signing the 23-year-old forward, and for a good reason. Throughout his career, Jonathan Kuminga has suffered from numerous knee and ankle issues. He has played in 294 regular-season games out of a possible 410 since being drafted 7th overall in 2021.
The former NBA Champion now seeks a new home, and if he can stay healthy enough, he still has plenty of untapped potential. At 6’7″, his aggressive playing type and combination of size and athleticism often earn him the nickname “bull” because of his intense style of play.
Jonathan Kuminga is a type of player who can get a defensive rebound on the opposite side of the court, then single-handedly run the fastbreak anf finish with a high-flying slam, and teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers need his gameplay to remain competitive.
In the 2025-26 Season, despite only playing 36 Games due to bilateral patellar tendonitis and a knee hyperextension, Jonathan Kuminga averaged 12.2 Points, 5.6 Rebounds and 2.3 Assists. Decent stats for a 5th-year forward, but his overall lack of shooting beyond the mid-range and lack of consistency across multiple weeks are some of the factors that depreciate his overall value.
The Atlanta Hawks declined his team option to secure financial flexibility and access their mid-level exception. A player that is meant to be a future “star”, getting dropped like that. You either adjust yourself to the system, or you change the system itself, and Kuminga does not have the influence to change the system, so that leaves him with one option.