Ranking Top Jonathan Kuminga Landing Spots In 2026 NBA Free Agency

Jonathan Kuminga has officially joined the NBA's pool of unrestricted free agents.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Atlanta Hawks have decided to decline the 23-year-old's $24.3 million team option for next season. Kuminga is now free to sign with any suitor he chooses, and the Los Angeles Lakers are the most recent team rumored to be interested.

Where should the tantalizingly talented and maddeningly inconsistent combo forward take his services?

Relative to spending power, potential fit and the rumor mill, here are a handful of landing spots to monitor.

6. Los Angeles Lakers

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Despite only having the veteran's minimum to offer, the Los Angeles Lakers remain hot on Jonathan Kuminga's trail.

General manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick reportedly met with the 24-year-old "virtually" in order to sell him "on a vision of being a high-minutes wing next to Luka Dončić in a spacious on-court environment conducive to Kuminga's skill set," according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Um, sure.

It's hard for the Lakers to go wrong if Kuminga only costs the minimum. At the same time, they desperately need strong perimeter defenders after losing Marcus Smart to the Houston Rockets. Landing Quentin Grimes is a start, but he's not fit to guard bigger wings.

Kuminga isn't, either. He has the physical tools to be a better stopper and rebounder, but his effectiveness on the less-glamorous end comes and goes. He isn't even a bona fide offensive fit. His preference is to operate on-ball. The Lakers already have two higher-usage creators in Dončić and Austin Reaves.

This dalliance feels wrong for all parties. And it'll only get worse for Los Angeles if this is the precursor to a sign-and-trade that ends with it paying more than the minimum for Kuminga's services.

5. Milwaukee Bucks

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The Milwaukee Bucks should be in full-on experimental mode after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. Jonathan Kuminga fits neatly into that second-draft (third-draft?) mold.

Nobody on the Bucks is so ball-dominant that they should flinch at allocating touches to Kuminga. Jaime Jaquez Jr. comes closest, and last season's Sixth Man of the Year finalist isn't someone to whom you tailor your roster.

Ryan Rollins, Tyler Herro (assuming he sticks) and Brayden Burries each warrant on-ball reps, but they are all useful as floor-spacers away from the rock. Milwaukee even has a stretch 5 in Myles Turner (for now, anyway) to maximize the runway with which Kuminga can operate going downhill.

Aside from needing to stagger Kuminga from Nate Ament and maybe Kyle Kuzma, the logistical pretzel-twisting is minimal. That's more than you can say for many of the other fits.

And with ample wiggle room beneath the tax, the Bucks can afford to use part (or all) of their $15 million mid-level exception on a stab-in-the-dark signing.

4. Sacramento Kings

Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

Few things in life are more certain than the Sacramento Kings coveting Jonathan Kuminga.

To this end, Andscape's Marc J. Spears says they're expected to show interest in the 23-year-old now that he's a free agent. On the flip side, The Athletic's Sam Amick reports Sacramento does not plan to pursue him.

Forced to choose, we should bet on the Kings continuing to Kings and sniffing around Kuminga again. They don't currently have a young and athletic combo forward comfortable with generating his own shot, and there will be room to redistribute usage if they move on from Domantas Sabonis or DeMar DeRozan (partially guaranteed).

The absolute peak version of Kuminga can lighten the workload for rookie Darius Acuff Jr. Between Maxime Raynaud, Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Malik Monk and Zach LaVine, the Kings could also have enough shooters at (virtually) every other position to help offset some of JK's worst offensive tendencies and limitations.

Money is the primary roadblock to any pursuit in Sacramento. The Kings remain over the tax even after dumping Devin Carter. They'll need to continue cutting costs if they want to dangle all or part of the $15 million MLE in front of Kuminga.

3. Atlanta Hawks

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Declining Jonathan Kuminga's team option doesn't mean the Hawks are entirely out on keeping him. They may just want to rework his contract.

Atlanta was right up against the tax with Kuminga's $24.3 million salary. It now projects to be $25-plus million under the luxury threshold. That gives the front office more flexibility to pull off trades or use the $15 million mid-level exception without actually entering the tax.

Let's say Kuminga signs for an estimated $15 million himself. The Hawks could then use more than $10 million of the bigger MLE to add another free agent.

Whether investing more reps in Kuminga is the right call remains debatable. He is not the cleanest fit alongside Dyson Daniels, as we saw for stretches during the playoffs, and playing him is bound to come at the expense of Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024.

Still, for all his flaws, Kuminga did show flashes. If his salary is going to be noticeably lower, we can't rule out a return—particularly if Atlanta has designs on swinging a consolidation trade using other players.

2. Los Angeles Clippers

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

With over $20 million in cap space, room in the rotation for athleticism and rim pressure, and a fuzzy direction that's blurring the line between the bigger picture and immediate aspirations, the Los Angeles Clippers rise toward the top of prospective Jonathan Kuminga landing spots.

Granted, his skill set can be somewhat redundant to Bennedict Mathurin's offensive arsenal. But there's no guarantee the restricted free agent is back.

Even if he is, Kuminga wields more size and nuclear athleticism and profiles as a more intriguing target for guards Darius Garland and Keaton Wagler.

1. Boston Celtics

David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Boston Celtics team president Brad Stevens has made it his mission to add rim pressure over the offseason. That largely explains Beantown's dalliance with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Using a chunk of the non-taxpayer mid-level on a Jonathan Kuminga flier could be a worthwhile contingency. His 5.08 attempts at the rim per 75 possessions last season would have ranked second among the Celtics' non-bigs, trailing only Jaylen Brown's 5.20. 

Though Boston cannot count on Kuminga for lights-out spacing, it has the stretch elsewhere to open up the floor for his drives and isos. The Celtics would still be betting on his improvement as a rebounder and defender, but he showed progress last season in the former department. 

---

Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.