Suitors keep piling up for Jonathan Kuminga. The wing, one of the most intriguing names still available on the market, has been drawing interest from various teams as the days go by, a group that, according to Joe Vardon, a journalist for The Athletic, has now been joined by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although with an important caveat: this time the interest appears to be mutual.
Vardon notes that the wing is attracted to the organization and to Kenny Atkinson, with whom he crossed paths during Atkinson’s stint as an assistant with the Warriors, while on the Cavaliers’ side, Donovan Mitchell himself has shown interest in Kuminga. Thus, this seems to be a more solid option than others that have surfaced in recent days, although that does not automatically guarantee that it will come to fruition.
And the reason is that, in order to offer the wing a salary that matches his expectations, Cleveland would likely have to negotiate a sign & trade with the Atlanta Hawks, sending some players to the Georgia franchise to see if they would be of interest there. Specifically, Vardon points to Max Strus and Dennis Schröder as candidates to be part of this potential deal, two players who, by way of reference, carry a combined salary of 30.4 million for the 2026-27 season.
Kuminga, for his part, is currently a free agent after the Hawks declined their team option valued at 24.3 million, so one can imagine he will aim for a somewhat lower salary perhaps with more years guaranteed. We’ll see if, after the positive impressions left last season, in which he averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, he manages to secure something that fits his desires.
