Jonathan Kuminga joining Lakers gains traction after Cavaliers land Peyton Watson in 3-team trade

Jonathan Kuminga landing with the Los Angeles Lakers seems inevitable at this point.On Tuesday, it appeared Kuminga had three suitors remaining in his free-agent sweepstakes: the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers.And on Wednesday, the Cavaliers seemingly took themselves out of contention by instead acquiring Peyton Watson in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.The Lakers have always been the most logical fit for Kuminga, but the two parties haven’t been able to reach an agreement all summer long.

The Lakers initially offered the forward a deal for around $10 million annually under the framing that he’d be starting alongside Luka Doncic in Hollywood.But Kuminga and his camp wanted double that amount, which has since created an ongoing stalemate between the 23-year-old and the Lakers.Another possible outcome is a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks to bring Kuminga to LA.

There’s even a chance the Lakers acquire Kuminga on a cheaper deal because the other contender in the mix, Minnesota, can only offer him a $6 million taxpayer mid-exception.The forward has spent a majority of the summer weighing his options, and now one of Kuminga’s best alternatives in the Cavaliers pivoted and landed Watson.The Lakers still need a versatile wing defender.A few days into free agency, general manager Rob Pelinka had already spent a majority of the team’s cap space on free agent additions like Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes.That left the Lakers with little money to spend on a backup center and a versatile wing defender.

The Lakers already took care of the former by signing Kevon Looney, but the squad is still missing a key piece of its roster with less than two weeks before September.Kuminga would solve that problem for the Lakers, and it’s clear his market is quickly shrinking....