The Los Angeles Lakers handed out $261 million in contracts on July 1, but the franchise might not be done yet.
The Lakers have completely reshuffled their roster. After LeBron James ' confirmation that he won't return to the Lakers, the franchise sign-and-traded for Walker Kessler while signing Quentin Grimes , Sandro Mamukelashvili , and Collin Sexton .
Despite filling out their cap space, the franchise is eyeing another major addition.
The Athletic has revealed that the Lakers are still looking for a young wing to add to their roster, with free agent Jonathan Kuminga on the team's radar.
"The team, according to league sources who were granted anonymity to freely discuss the Lakers' offseason moves, is still seeking a young wing to help its perimeter defense. A high-upside swing receiving significant consideration, per league sources, is former Golden State Warrior and Atlanta Hawk Jonathan Kuminga, whose $24.3 million team option was recently declined by Atlanta."
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Kuminga is coming off a season where he averaged 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 20 games with the Golden State Warriors before being traded to the Hawks , where he averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 16 games.
The Lakers would need to open up room to give Kuminga a competitive contract offer, which they could do by offloading Jarred Vanderbilt , Jake LaRavia , Deandre Ayton , and/or Dalton Knecht .
LA is out of draft capital to dangle in front of opposing teams, so dumping those players might be too challenging, unless the Lakers waive-and-stretch some of them to take a long-term hit but create enough space to entice Kuminga with an offer.
Acquiring a forward like Kuminga should be high on the priority list since there isn't a clear replacement for outgoing forwards like LeBron or Rui Hachimura .
The team was expected to also show interest in Peyton Watson , but it seems they've emptied most of their bullets already, and will need to make additional moves before they can sign any of the top-tier free agents.
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