Lakers Should Be Out on Jonathan Kuminga Contract Amid NBA Sign-and-Trade Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to build a new-look roster around Luka Dončić, and they don't appear to be done yet.

Los Angeles has already taken care of its two top offseason priorities, re-signing Austin Reaves and adding a quality center. The first was achieved by giving Reaves a four-year, $184.8 million deal. The second was accomplished by executing a trade with the Utah Jazz for Walker Kessler.

With the Lakers' new core three in place, Rob Pelinka and Co. are working on rounding out the roster. 2021 seventh overall pick Jonathan Kuminga appears to be on the team's radar.

According to The Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner (h/t Edwin Garcia of Silver Screen and Roll), the Lakers have been eying forward Jonathan Kuminga and looking to offer a two-year, $20 million deal.

As Bleacher Report's Erik Beaston recently noted, signing Kuminga at that price point would make some sense. The former Golden State Warriors draft selection has never quite measured up to his draft status, but he still has potential, can contribute on defense, and would help address L.A.'s need for forward depth.

The problem is that the Lakers are highly unlikely to land Kuminga at that price point. According to Khobi Price of the New York Post, members of Kuminga's circle believe that "there are better options for him if he joins the Lakers."

The chatter has turned to talks of a larger contract navigated via a sign-and-trade. According to Price, the Atlanta Hawks are amenable to executing a deal to send Kuminga to L.A.

"A source told the Post the Hawks are willing to execute a sign-and-trade with the Lakers around the framework of Kuminga going to L.A. and the Hawks receiving Jarred Vanderbilt and the Lakers' 2032 first-round pick swap."

While the Lakers may be happy that they appear to have an avenue open to acquiring Kuminga, they must resist the urge to take it. Kuminga might be a fine role player on a relatively team-friendly deal, but he's not worth adding if it means spending trade capital and more contract dollars.

There's also no guarantee that Kuminga would stay happy in his role. According to ESPN's Anthony Slater, problems with his offensive usage are what sparked Kuminga's desire to leave Golden State.

"As Kuminga's career developed, Kuminga believed he'd shown enough in supplementary roles to have earned more consistent trust and on-ball opportunity," Slater wrote.

With Dončić, Reaves, and now Collin Sexton in the lineup, it's unlikely Kuminga would get much on-ball time in Los Angeles. That could lead to him requesting a split, as it did with the Warriors.

If Kuminga reconsiders and is willing to play for L.A. on a $10 million salary for a couple of years, he's worth signing. However, it's simply not worth handing out a bigger contract and expending trade capital to add a player who won't turn Los Angeles into a title contender and who could potentially want out well before his contract is up.