Los Angeles Lakers’ Rob Pelinka Views Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga As Good Fit Next To Luka Dončić
Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka views Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga as a good fit next to Luka Dončić, according to NBA reporter Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Kuminga has demanded a trade from the Warriors and the Lakers are interested in trading for the 2022 NBA champion.
“As the list of possible Kuminga teams becomes murkier, there is one to keep your eyes on: The Los Angeles Lakers,” Johnson wrote. “That connection dates back to the summer of Kuminga’s restricted free agency saga. League sources told NBC Sports Bay Area then that the Lakers were a team monitoring Kuminga’s situation and the possibility of him taking the qualifying offer where he’d be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026.
“Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka is a fan of Kuminga’s, sources say, and likes the idea of him as an athletic wing on a Luka Dončić-led team. The Warriors have been aware of the Lakers’ likeness for Kuminga, though it’s unclear how likely an in-season move between the two teams is.”
Kuminga has appeared in 18 games this season. He’s averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the field, 32.0% from beyond the arc and 74.1% from the free-throw line. The swingman is not in the Warriors’ rotation at the moment.
The 23-year-old Kuminga signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal with the Warriors to end his restricted free agency in the offseason. The second year of the deal is a team option.
The Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings are interested in trading for Kuminga, who holds career averages of 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Los Angeles is in fifth place in the Western Conference standings, while Golden State is in eighth place.
The Lakers, of course, made a blockbuster trade last season, acquiring Dončić from the Mavericks for Anthony Davis and Max Christie. The Warriors also made a big trade, acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.
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