Multiple reports continue to link Jonathan Kuminga with the Lakers. But the loudest rumors may not be pointing at their real target. With the offseason warming up every passing day, insider Jovan Buha says that it has entered the “lying season”. The public negotiations and strategic leaks have taken center stage. According to him, the smoke surrounding JK could be masking the path to acquire PJ Washington.

If Buha is right, the real story is not smoke, but salary math.

“It’s a little complicated,” Buha said while laying out the Lakers’ offseason roadmap on ESPN LA 710. “As long as the Lakers go through with their moves, the final couple of moves here would be using the room exception to Collin Sexton, then finalizing the Austin Reaves signing, and then the Kevon Looney signing for the minimum. They’ll be at 14 players, and they’ll be roughly $11 to 12 million under the first apron.”

That cushion is the key.

Buha explained that the Lakers are hard-capped at the first apron, meaning they cannot exceed roughly $209 million in payroll. However, remaining just below that line gives them valuable flexibility. 

“Because they’re technically still below the first apron, they could take back salary greater than what they’re sending out,” Buha said. “As long as they’re sending out above $8.8 million, they can take back roughly $9 million more.”

That opens a legitimate roadmap to acquire PJ Washington.

Given that Washington’s 2026-27 season salary is $19.8 million, Buha noted that the Lakers only need to aggregate around $10 million in outgoing salary to satisfy the league’s matching rules.

“Basically, they could do some sort of deal where it’s, say, Jake LaRavia and Dalton Knecht, or Jared Vanderbilt, although I think that would require more draft capital going out,” Buha said.

Buha also suggested another possibility where the Mavs may actually prefer expiring contracts.

“They would probably prefer someone like Jake or Dalton or even taking back Jaden Hardy, who they previously had, just because those guys are expiring, whereas Vando has one more year.”

Ultimately, Buha believes the framework is financially achievable until the Lakers match the Mavs’ want.

“That’s three seconds (round picks), two seconds plus a first-round swap, whatever it is, that the math works.”

That is where the Jonathan Kuminga rumors become interesting. JK reportedly expects an annual salary between $ 22 and $ 25 million, as he looks to find a home in free agency.

Buha, in the same interview, described the current market as “lying season” and “posturing season,” arguing that teams and agents are strategically leaking information throughout free agency. He pointed to the stalled Kuminga negotiations as an example, noting the Hawks’ reported reluctance to absorb Jarred Vanderbilt’s contract without involving a third team.

That spoke a lot. 

“If it were going to happen, it probably would have already happened.”

That raises the possibility that the Lakers’ public Kuminga negotiations are serving another purpose. Keeping pressure on the Hawks gives the Lakers leverage, while the Mavs continue to set their asking price for PJ Washington.

Zooming out, pairing PJ Washington with Luka Doncic and Quentin Grimes makes it a small Mavs reunion in LA. The most the Lakers could do to facilitate their cornerstone was a comforting season. 

Buha’s breakdown showed that the offseason headlines may center on Jonathan Kuminga, but the numbers continue to point toward Washington.