New Lakers Rumors on Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga and NBA Free-Agent Targets After LeBron Exit

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly interested in center Kevon Looney and forward Jonathan Kuminga in free agency.

According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, Looney is "on the Lakers' radar" while their front office has also focused on potentially adding Kuminga to fill the team's desire for additional wing help.

The need became more apparent after LeBron James informed the organization that he planned to play elsewhere during the 2026-27 season.

Stein and Fischer also reported Saturday that there's a "growing" expectation free-agent forward Rui Hachimura won't return to the Lakers either.

Los Angeles has also shown interest in center Jonas Valančiūnas with the Denver Nuggets making him available in trade discussions, per Stein and Fischer.

Valančiūnas has one year left on his current contract with Denver, but Jonas Miklovas and Karolis Tiškevičius of BasketNews previously reported that the veteran big man committed to EuroLeague team Žalgiris Kaunas if he secures a release from his deal.

Stein and Fischer noted the "notion" that Valančiūnas is destined to return to Europe is "suddenly a murky topic again," though.

His $10 million cap hit for the 2026-27 season goes down to $2 million if he's waived by Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Looney could step in as a depth option behind Walker Kessler for the Lakers after they traded Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards on Friday.

Looney didn't have a consistent rotation role with the New Orleans Pelicans last season, as he only made 21 appearances. Still, he has 89 games of playoff experience under his belt and won three championships throughout his 10 years on the Golden State Warriors from 2015-25.

As for Kuminga, he suited up in 36 combined contests with the Warriors and Atlanta Hawks during his 2025-26 campaign. The former first-round pick averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 46.3/33.3/72.4 shooting splits.

While Hachimura remains a free agent, it may be difficult for Los Angeles to make him a competitive offer with the Golden State Warriors reportedly among the teams interested in him.