If the Los Angeles Lakers are serious about completing a trade before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, they must narrow their focus as soon as possible.
According to Forbes’ Evan Sidery, the Lakers are interested in acquiring the Golden State Warriors’ 6-foot-7 NBA champion. To help jumpstart a blockbuster trade, Sidery reported that Los Angeles is willing to cut ties with their 6-foot-2 veteran point guard.
“The Lakers and Warriors have conducted brief trade discussions involving Jonathan Kuminga,” Forbes stated on X/Twitter Monday.
“Los Angeles appears willing to offer the expiring contracts of Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber alongside a 2032 2nd-round pick. Golden State is not showing any legit interest in LA’s assets.”
It isn’t surprising that the Lakers’ reported trade package for Kuminga isn’t moving the needle for the 17-time NBA champions. Vincent, who was a valuable role player with the Miami Heat before joining the Lakers in 2023, appears to be a shell of his former self.
The UC Santa Barbara product is an ineffective perimeter shooter, playmaker, and on-ball defender in late January. Additionally, Kleber isn’t the kind of frontcourt asset the Warriors are currently seeking, and there’s no telling what the franchise’s future draft pick will develop into.
Long story short, the Lakers must present a more enticing trade offer to the Dubs if they want to pry Kuminga away from Golden State this season.
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