The Los Angeles Lakers remain interested in acquiring forward Jonathan Kuminga through a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks, but negotiations have stalled for weeks as the two sides and the free agent himself continue to work through disagreements over contract length and money, according to a report Friday from ESPN’s Anthony Slater.

Kuminga became an unrestricted free agent this offseason after the Hawks declined his $24.3 million team option for the 2026-27 season. Nearly a month into free agency, he remains unsigned, with the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers among the teams that have shown consistent interest, while a potential deal with Los Angeles has failed to come together despite ongoing conversations between all parties.

Where Talks Currently Stand

Slater wrote that the Lakers met with Kuminga during the earliest hours of free agency, pitching him on a high-minutes role for a high-profile fringe playoff contender in need of athletic help along the wing. According to Slater’s reporting, “The opportunity appealed to Kuminga, but the sign-and-trade contract offer (years, money, package going back to Atlanta) didn’t satisfy all sides. The Lakers remain interested in him, league sources said, but movement toward a deal has remained stalled for weeks.”

That stall has continued despite steady contact between the two sides. NBA insider Keith Smith reported that the Hawks are essentially ready to complete a deal centered around forward Jarred Vanderbilt and outgoing draft capital heading back to Atlanta, but that the primary obstacle remains on Kuminga’s side of the negotiation. “It sounds like it’s on Kuminga’s side, where he wants a little bit more money,” Smith said.

The Core Disagreement: Length Versus Money

At the heart of the standoff is a structural NBA rule that a sign-and-trade contract must run for a minimum of three years. According to Smith’s reporting, Kuminga is willing to accept a longer-term deal, and separately willing to accept less money than his initial asking price, but has been unwilling to accept both conditions at once, a combination that has left Los Angeles unable to structure an offer that satisfies him.

Reports on Kuminga’s specific salary target have varied somewhat. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported the Lakers had offered Kuminga a two-year contract worth $20 million, while Kuminga’s camp has been seeking an annual salary in the range of $14 million to $16 million through a sign-and-trade, unwilling to settle for anything below the league’s midlevel exception. Other reporting has placed Kuminga’s target closer to $20 million annually on a three-year sign-and-trade, a figure that has so far found no takers among interested teams, including the Lakers, who have shown no urgency to bid against themselves given Kuminga’s limited leverage as an unsigned free agent this deep into August.

Financial Constraints on Both Sides

Complicating any potential deal further, the Hawks currently have 16 players on guaranteed contracts for next season and sit just $3.8 million under the luxury tax threshold, limiting Atlanta’s flexibility to absorb additional salary as part of any sign-and-trade structure. The Lakers, meanwhile, are hard-capped at the first tax apron as a result of an earlier sign-and-trade for center Walker Kessler, and currently sit approximately $8.1 million under that first apron threshold, a constraint that similarly limits how much financial flexibility Los Angeles has to offer in any deal for Kuminga.

A Familiar Pattern for Kuminga

Friday’s report adds to what has become a recurring storyline in Kuminga’s career, in which contract negotiations have repeatedly dragged into prolonged standoffs. According to Heavy Sports, this now marks the third time in Kuminga’s five-year NBA career that he has found himself in an extended contract dispute, following similar drawn-out negotiations tied to his rookie extension and his restricted free agency the previous summer, before this year’s situation with Atlanta and the broader open market.

What a Move to Los Angeles Could Mean

Analysts who have examined a potential Lakers landing spot for Kuminga have pointed to a favorable on-court fit alongside the team’s current core. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves already handling much of Los Angeles’ offensive creation, Kuminga could be deployed more as a cutter, transition finisher and slasher rather than being asked to generate offense from a standstill, a role some evaluators believe would better suit his skill set than the more ball-dominant role he has often occupied earlier in his career. His size and athleticism have also been cited as addressing a specific need for the Lakers along the wing, particularly following the departure of LeBron James, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this offseason.

Other Suitors Remain in the Picture

While the Lakers have remained the most consistently reported suitor in recent weeks, Kuminga has also been connected to other teams throughout the offseason, including the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves, with his original team, the Golden State Warriors, at one point remaining engaged in the process as well before he was later dealt to Atlanta. That web of competing interest has given Kuminga’s camp additional leverage to hold out for a deal closer to his preferred financial terms, even as the process has dragged well into August without resolution.

With training camps approaching and Kuminga’s free agency now stretching into its fourth week, pressure is likely to mount on all sides to finalize a deal before the situation begins affecting preseason preparations. Whether the Lakers ultimately find a structure that satisfies both Atlanta’s asset requirements and Kuminga’s contract demands, or whether the 23-year-old forward instead lands with one of his other reported suitors, is expected to become clearer in the coming days as free agency activity typically accelerates heading into the final stretch before the regular season.