The Los Angeles Lakers have not accomplished themselves any favors this offseason, however their newest free company blunder is sort of an excessive amount of to bear. The Lakers had been making an attempt for weeks to land free agent ahead Jonathan Kuminga.
Sadly for them, he declined a three-year $18 million provide with L.A. to take a two-year take care of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
BREAKING: Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million take care of the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus a participant possibility, agent Aaron Turner tells ESPN. Kuminga shall be a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on the West contender. pic.twitter.com/KdtD6YEy9j
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2026
That was clearly an upside play for the Timberwolves, with Kuminga being a former high 10 decide within the NBA Draft.
After all, his signing with the Timberwolves as a substitute of the Lakers is little doubt an embarrassing hit for L.A. In any case, they’ve already had a irritating free company up to now.
Lacking out on Jonathan Kuminga is the Lakers‘ newest free agent miss
The Lakers are already coping with new possession and the potential fallout of that. Now, one of many high remaining free brokers has turned them all the way down to signal a much less profitable take care of a rival.
Kuminga in all probability would not have moved the needle that a lot for the Lakers. Nonetheless, it sums up their questionable offseason in a nutshell. First, they traded all of their remaining first-round picks to accumulate Walker Kessler, a transfer that has drawn combined reactions.
Then they comply with that up with a number of free brokers that emphasize offense as a substitute of protection. Now, they’ve a hodgepodge roster that’s principally offense-oriented with few defensive stoppers. They may very well be a top-five offensive staff subsequent season however possibly a middle-of-the-pack defensive staff because of this.
The Lakers are removed from a contender subsequent season
It is onerous to say that the Lakers obtained higher this offseason. At greatest, they’re barely worse than they had been final yr. Even then, the Western Convention has gotten even higher.
The San Antonio Spurs are a significantly better staff than they had been final season. The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder are the identical dominant staff, and the Wolves are additionally anticipated to be much better.
Even the perimeter Western Convention groups such because the Utah Jazz and the Portland Path Blazers may very well be a lot improved, ensuing within the Lakers having to face two extra aggressive groups subsequent season. The perfect-case state of affairs is they’re a top-six playoff staff.
Simply ok to keep away from the play-in and probably getting round having to play the Spurs or OKC within the first spherical. Even then—Kuminga or not—this staff’s ceiling is a second-round playoff staff. That is higher than most however not ok for the Lakers.
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