According to Buha, that proposal never gained traction.
“I have heard that his camp is looking for closer to $20 million,” Buha said. “Doesn’t have to be exactly $20 million, but closer to that side of the ledger than the $10 million side of the ledger.”
The report provides the clearest explanation yet for why negotiations between the Lakers and Kuminga have failed to advance despite mutual interest.
Instead, he suggested a middle ground could emerge.
“If it’s a three-year, $45 million deal and it’s $15 million per year, that’s right down the middle of what both sides want,” Buha said.
Hawks Must Also Agree to Deal
Even if the Lakers and Kuminga ultimately compromise on a contract, another major hurdle remains.
Atlanta has to agree to facilitate a sign-and-trade.
That may prove just as difficult.
The Lakers have limited draft assets after their last two blockbuster trades for Luka Doncic and Walker Kessler. Their most significant remaining asset is a 2032 first-round pick swap, along with three tradable second-round picks, two of which they acquired from Washington in the Deandre Ayton trade.
The most logical salary-matching contracts belong to Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht, but previous reporting suggests neither player has generated substantial interest around the league.
Earlier this month, Khobi Price of the California Post reported that Los Angeles had discussed a framework centered on Vanderbilt and the 2032 first-round pick swap.
Two days later, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported in The Stein Line that Atlanta had not considered taking back Vanderbilt in a Kuminga deal.
https://heavy.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/kuminga-asking-price-lakers-pursuit/
