The Los Angeles Lakers attempted to build their offseason around Luka Doncic’s demands. Four signings trying to answer most of them. One glaring hole remains. When Doncic was traded to the Lakers last season, he arrived with expectations, expectations that lead to conditions – a roster that could actually compete in the West. Rob Pelinka delivered on the headline ask: a rim-running center in Walker Kessler, signed to four years and $130 million out of Utah.

He added wing Quentin Grimes, bench scorer Collin Sexton, and stretch big Sandro Mamukelashvili. Four moves. A coherent roster, finally shaped around Doncic rather than assembled beside him. But there is a hole in it that all four of those moves failed to fill.

Doncic is arguably the best offensive initiator in the game, but he has never been a plus defender and the blueprint he ran in Dallas, the one that reached the 2024 NBA Finals, was built on surrounding him with athletes who could lock down on the perimeter and let him operate freely on the other end.

Pelinka promised to recreate that environment. What the Lakers have instead is a void at point-of-attack defender: no one on the wing capable of taking on the elite scorers they will face deep in a playoff series.

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Marcus Smart, who filled that role last season, left for Houston. Quentin Grimes and Austin Reaves are next in line, and neither profiles as a stopper against the West’s best wings.

The solution, per reports, may be sitting in free agency: Jonathan Kuminga.

Luka Doncic & Co. could capitalize on Atlanta Hawks’ move

According to league sources who spoke to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity, LA is aggressively searching for a young, athletic wing to anchor its perimeter defense under head coach JJ Redick.

Jonathan Kuminga has emerged as a prime target receiving “significant consideration” from the Lakers’ front office.

The former seventh overall draft pick’s elite athleticism was overshadowed by a turbulent tenure with the Golden State Warriors.

It culminated in a midseason trade to the Atlanta Hawks where he seemingly found his rhythm that lasted upto the playoffs.

Atlanta’s recent decision to decline his hefty $24.3 million team option for the 2026–27 season leaves the door open for the Lakers to pursue him. By turning down the option, the Hawks allowed the 23-year-old forward to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

The cap math is the complication. After multiple signings Wednesday, the Lakers no longer have the financial flexibility to sign Kuminga outright. But they could do so by waiving Jarred Vanderbilt.

The team would need to free up another $7 million in cap space to orchestrate a potential deal, doing so by stretching Vanderbilt’s contract.

Vanderbilt averaged just 4.4 points and 4.5 rebounds last season while battling injury, making him the logical roster casualty and his stretch would free up enough space to make a short-term Kuminga deal financially viable.

The Lakers lost in the second round to Oklahoma City last season. They need an on-ball defender capable of taking on the elite scorers in the West across a seven-game series and right now, no one on the roster is built for that assignment.

The Lakers have long used their brand to attract veterans willing to sign for less, but Luka’s competitive window demands more than a minimum gamble.

Jonathan Kuminga and Warriors’ friction doesn’t effect Lakers

The Lakers went from standstill, waiting for LeBron James to make a decision to a state of absolute activity. Within a couple of days the free agency opening on June 30, they lost their defensive anchor, Marcus Smart to the Rockets.

That was complicated with the loss of their reliable perimeter threat Luke Kennard. 

This went down when the Lakers were reportedly meeting with Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren to potentially sign one of them.

It became essential for the Lakers to immediately fill the gaps left by Smart, Kennard, and LeBron James while also finding a viable big to complement Luka Doncic.

Plus it’s noteworthy that the Lakers-Kuminga connection has a documented paper trail. The Purple & Gold were previously interested in Kuminga dating back to last summer’s restricted free agency standoff, when, according to The Athletic’s Jake Fischer, Los Angeles called Golden State to check in on his availability.

Once he became trade-eligible in January, multiple insiders confirmed that Lakers president Rob Pelinka was a fan of Kuminga, specifically in the context of a Doncic-led team, believing his athleticism and wing size translated directly to what Luka needed around him.

The Lakers and Warriors even held brief trade discussions, with LA appearing willing to offer the expiring contracts of Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber, along with a second-round pick.

The deal never materialized – Golden State ultimately sent Kuminga to Atlanta in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, but the interest never went away.

Pursuing Kuminga makes sense in all that. In 36 total regular-season games splitting time between Golden State and Atlanta last season, Kuminga averaged a resilient 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 46.3% from the field.

While critics point to his below-average 33.3% clip from behind the arc and previous friction with Steve Kerr, a dynamic move like that allows Doncic’s unique playmaking ability to fit a slashing forward like Kuminga. 

If Pelinka can convince the explosive forward to buy into a complementary role alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves, the former Warriors could find the ultimate redemption path into California and perhaps face off against his former team in Purple & Gold.