Jonathan Kuminga is headed to Minnesota, and the Lakers are left with the cleaner kind of miss.
ESPN reported that Kuminga agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million deal with the Timberwolves, with a player option on the second season. The move gives Minnesota a needed power forward after the departures of Julius Randle and Naz Reid.
For the Wolves, the appeal is simple. Kuminga can step into a real role next to Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, while Minnesota gets him without building a costly sign-and-trade package.
That is the part Lakers fans were arguing through. Los Angeles needed size and athleticism on the wing, but a Kuminga deal likely would have required salary movement, players and draft compensation to make the mechanics work. Missing on him hurts the depth chart. It also keeps the Lakers from paying a complicated asset price for a player still trying to prove he is a steady starter.
Kuminga, the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft, now gets the minutes case he wanted. The Lakers still have the harder job: finding a starting-level forward before training camp without forcing the wrong trade.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.