The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason has been about near misses more than aggressive maneuvers. But their dramatic roster transformation around Luka Doncic is not completely finished just yet. Following major additions like center Walker Kessler, general manager Rob Pelinka remains relentless in his pursuit of Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Reporter Dave McMenamin revealed on NBA Today that Doncic is genuinely “excited” about the team’s newly formed core, which features Kessler alongside young talents like Sandro Mamukelashvili, Cameron Carr, Ziaire Williams, Arthur Kaluma, and Quentin Grimes. However, McMenamin emphasized that the front office continues to chase extra firepower on the perimeter.

“They’re still after at least one more. I can tell you that they keep calling Jonathan Kuminga,” McMenamin shared during the broadcast. “And again, obviously, they have not made a lucrative enough offer for Kuminga to jump. But part of their pitch has been, ‘Hey, you know, you can come start here potentially.’

“And that says two things to me. Number one, it says the Lakers still don’t want to be done making moves, right? And they believe they’re a little weak on the wing position.”

McMenamin emphasized the Lakers’ desperation to get the former Warriors’ reject, saying:

“They could use some more juice on the wing, and maybe they get Kuminga done. Maybe they don’t. I think the LeBron domino affects Kuminga and what he may or may not be able to get, but again, all I can tell you is Rob Pelinka keeps calling Jonathan Kuminga.”

While interest between the Lakers and Kuminga has been mutual, the window for a deal is narrowing quickly. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently reported that LA essentially missed its optimal sign-and-trade window two weeks prior during the Deandre Ayton trade to the Washington Wizards.

That trade gave a brief opening where Atlanta could have been looped in to facilitate the contract. With the Hawks trading for Luguentz Dort and Ryan Nembhard, a sign-and-trade framework has become increasingly difficult, forcing the Lakers to sign Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams as backup insurance.

They’re still chasing Kuminga, but Pelinka faces hard constraints on its current roster.

When show host Vanessa Richardson questioned whether the post-LeBron James Lakers were finished rebuilding, McMenamin had a bleak outlook.

“Well, I mean, there’s 16 players on the team. So just by virtue of that information, they aren’t done,” McMenamin explained. “Between now and the start of the regular season, you’ve got to get rid of a player.

“Whether that’s going to be continuing to try to move someone like Jarred Vanderbilt or Dalton Knecht that they’ve not had success with thus far and they’ve quite frankly tried for a while here, or could it be someone like Jaden Hardy who was picked up in the Deandre Ayton deal. That’s one thing that absolutely has to happen. So, that means their work’s not done.”

Whether Pelinka ultimately pulls off a late deal for Kuminga or pivots toward trimming the roster, the Lakers have signaled that their rebuilding efforts around Doncic remain active until training camp begins.