New Jonathan Kuminga Rumors on Contract Asking Price in NBA Free Agency amid Lakers, Cavs Buzz

A handful of teams are interested in free agent Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, but they'll have to match his lofty asking price.

According to Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha, the Lakers could have offered Kuminga a two-year deal worth $20 million, but that was far less than what the forward was asking for.

"I've heard that he's been looking for closer to $20 million AAV," Buha said. "It doesn't have to be exactly $20 million, but closer to that, north of $15 million. I think there's a gap right there."

ESPN's Anthony Slater reported earlier this month that the Lakers "still hope to land" Kuminga after the Atlanta Hawks declined his $24.3 million team option, with general manager Rop Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick pitching him on "a vision of being a high-minutes wing next to Luka Doncic in a spacious on-court environment conducive to Kuminga's skill set."

One avenue for Kuminga to land in Los Angeles was a potential sign-and-trade with the Hawks. Khobi Price of the California Post reported earlier this month that the framework for that deal would be Kuminga going to Los Angeles and the Hawks receiving Jarred Vanderbilt and the Lakers' 2032 first-round pick swap.

The Lakers' interest reportedly has dwindled given the gap between the two sides. The Athletic's Dan Woike noted Monday that "it appears that momentum has stalled with the sides far apart on terms and L.A. not overly motivated to push significant draft capital into sign-and-trade scenarios" for Kuminga.

The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly are also among potential suitors for Kuminga.

Kuminga, who was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Hawks last season, put up 12.2 points and 5.6 boards across 36 games last season, averaging 23.1 minutes per contest.

After perhaps failing to meet expectations in Golden State, he proved to be a valuable option off the bench for Atlanta, though it's worth mentioning he played in just 16 regular-season games for the Hawks.

Even though he was solid in the second half of last season, it's hard to say whether Kuminga is worth $20 million per year at this point. Perhaps if he's willing to come down from that asking price, he and the Lakers could work something out.