Jonathan Kuminga is increasingly close to joining the club of broken toys. When he arrived in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors, the expectation was that he could develop into a very good player; however, his inconsistent play has led us, by late August 2026, to view him as a free agent with no obvious solution in sight.
Although there has never been a shortage of teams interested in signing him, the young wing’s salary demands have blocked a deal, and now, with rosters nearly closed, he seems destined to perhaps sign something near the minimum or simply end up without a team…
That is the takeaway from the current state of suitors. The Cleveland Cavaliers, one of the teams pursuing him, have pulled off an excellent deal to acquire Peyton Watson, making it highly unlikely they will revisit Kuminga’s situation.
Two other franchises that have shown interest are the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves, but both have salary-cap problems and could not offer him more than the minimum (or close to it).
The Lakers Fail to Convince Atlanta
At this point, the option gaining traction is the Los Angeles Lakers, but they need the Hawks to agree to close a sign-and-trade, something that seems distant since the Californians’ offers have not convinced their counterpart at all.
The purple-and-gold will keep trying and perhaps turn the matter around, but what can be gleaned from this lack of understanding is that they also do not want to bet too heavily on Kuminga (draft picks), since it is not clear that he will pan out.
