Peyton Watson Trade Spells Bad News for Jonathan Kuminga as Lakers Emerge as Favorites to Land Warriors Champion

The Cleveland Cavaliers have recently secured Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets. Watson agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with Cleveland, offering him a four-year, $88 million contract. This move directly impacts Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who won a championship with Golden State in 2022. While this comes as good news for the Cavs, the sun isn't so bright for Kuminga. He was initially one of the Cavs' top picks to sign in free agency. However, with Watson in the picture, Kuminga no longer has leverage over the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Peyton Watson just secured a 4-year, $88M sign-and-trade with the Cavs, officially removing Cleveland as the primary threat Kuminga’s camp used for leverage against L.A.,” Lakers insider Frederick Okocha wrote on X. “The Cavs committed $22M annually to Watson, leaving Kuminga’s reps at an empty table.”

Kuminga stalled on LA’s offer earlier this summer, betting Cleveland’s interest would drive up his price. That bet just lost. With the Cavs no longer pursuing him, this is the Lakers' opening to sign him, but potentially for less money than he wanted.

“L.A. is now the undisputed favorite for a Kuminga sign-and-trade, but Rob Pelinka shouldn’t sprint to overpay,” Okocha added. “Playing for the purple and gold is a privilege, not a bailout for bad leverage.”

Any deal alongside Luka Doncic must be strictly team-friendly. Okocha also noted that the Lakers are likely to offer Kuminga $15 million annually. Kuminga’s camp has been seeking $20M–$25M per year, leaving a gap of $5M–$10M. The only way LA can secure Kuminga is via a sign-and-trade deal with the Atlanta Hawks, potentially sending Jarred Vanderbilt to Atlanta.

NBA Insider Claims Jonathan Kuminga Has No Other Choice But to Sign With the Lakers

Kuminga’s options have narrowed to one: the Lakers. The Minnesota Timberwolves have also expressed interest in the forward; however, they can only offer him $6 million annually given their current salary cap situation.

“With Peyton Watson going to the Cavaliers AND Max Strus going to the Clippers, it’s now EXTREMELY obvious in conversations in NBA circles that Jonathan Kuminga will be signing a deal with the Lakers shortly,” NBA insider Jed Fontaine wrote on X.

As of this writing, no other teams have expressed interest in Kuminga aside from the Cavaliers, Lakers, and Timberwolves. With that in mind, the Lakers are likely to sign him this offseason if no other NBA team joins the Kuminga sweepstakes. Kuminga’s leverage is gone, and the Lakers are now favorites to land the Warriors champion.