The Lakers Miss Out on Jonathan Kuminga; What’s Next?
After a long summer of being cited as a possible landing spot for Jonathan Kuminga, he ultimately decides to sign with the Timberwolves, and the Lakers are back to searching for a starting-level wing.
Does a starting-level wing/power forward even exist on the current market? Nothing on the free agency side of things suggests so.
Perhaps the trade market can present some options, and even then, the Lakers are pretty scarce on tradeable assets enticing enough for other teams to consider handing them a starting-caliber player.
So, where do the Lakers go from here?
This could very well be the roster as it stands when opening night arrives, minus the one player who will have to be moved or cut in order to bring the roster count down to 15.
They also have avenues to bolster their center depth. Nothing major or league-shaking, but it doesn’t hurt to acquire another backup center for injury insurance.
Jake Fischer reported on a live stream with Bleacher Report that the Lakers could be in the mix for Bruce Brown. Brown cited in a podcast that he almost left the Denver Nuggets, who had just swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, to join the purple and gold in 2023 before the Pacers swooped in and offered him a more lucrative deal.
Brown returned to Denver last season on a 1-year minimum deal, averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 38.5% from three. Brown is a strong defender and could add to the Lakers’ perimeter defense. Despite being able to defend small forwards, being a 6’4 guard isn’t exactly what the Lakers need at the moment.
The current Lakers guard rotation is packed: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Collin Sexton, Cameron Carr, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, and Jaden Hardy.
While Brown is a valuable role player, relying on a smaller guard to be one of the primary wing stoppers isn’t ideal. The Lakers tried that experiment before with Patrick Beverly; it didn’t work out so well.
At the moment, the Lakers are going to have to look within, and it’ll be up to JJ Redick and staff to figure out who will be that starting forward. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, and Quentin Grimes look like the for-sure starters for this group.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, and Ziaire Williams are the likely candidates to be that final starter. Each brings defensive versatility and/or athleticism and, in their own ways, balances the starting lineup’s skill set.
The fifth and final spot is up for grabs, and training camp will give us a better indication of who that might be.
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