Report: Cavs have better trade pieces than Lakers for Jonathan Kuminga
· Yahoo Sports
Now that LeBron James has chosen to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers for the next two seasons, it is thought that the rest of the NBA can complete its business as far as free agency and trades this summer.
One possibly impactful player who is still a free agent is Jonathan Kuminga, and it is pretty well-known across the league that the Los Angeles Lakers have been interested in him. The other team that has been genuinely looking to acquire him is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who, of course, were in the running for James.
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Now that James won't be returning to Cleveland, the team could turn its attention to Kuminga, and per Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Kuminga and Cleveland have mutual interest. Vardon also wrote that the Cavaliers can offer the Atlanta Hawks a better trade package than the Lakers can in a sign-and-trade deal.
"League sources, who spoke on the condition anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, said what the Lakers are prepared to offer Atlanta in a trade is underwhelming, whereas Cleveland has potentially more appealing trade pieces.
"The Cavs have been linked to possible trades of veteran forward Max Strus ($16 million) and point guard Dennis Schröder ($14 million)."
The players the Lakers are willing to offer for Kuminga are thought to be forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who is a good defender and rebounder but has virtually no offensive game, and wing Dalton Knecht, who may still have some potential as a 3-point specialist but has yet to prove he can be serviceable in the NBA.
Schroder, meanwhile, continues to be a capable ball-handler, facilitator and defender off the bench at the point guard position. Strus has become a legitimate 3-and-D wing who averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24 minutes a game and shot 40.2% from 3-point range this past season, although he appeared in just 12 games.
Kuminga, 23, hasn't tapped into much of the potential he was thought to have when he was the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft. But the 6-foot-7 forward has plenty of athleticism and can score and defend at a high level when he wants to.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Report: Cavs have better trade pieces than Lakers for Jonathan Kuminga