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Jonathan Kuminga is still an unrestricted free agent, and his name keeps popping up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, Cleveland has been one of the teams most frequently mentioned as a possible landing spot, especially outside of the Lakers.
The Lakers have shown interest too, but the talks haven’t gone anywhere due to financial disagreements. The Los Angeles Times reported that Los Angeles was thinking about a two-year, $20 million deal, while Jake Fischer said Kuminga’s side is pushing for something closer to $25 million per season. That feels like a pretty big ask for a player who averaged just 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists last season while shooting a rough 33.3% from three.
Don’t get me wrong, Kuminga still has the size, the explosive athleticism, and the scoring flashes that make a team interested in him. But at this point, he hasn’t shown he can be a consistent piece on a winning team or handle a real, meaningful role night after night. His decision-making can be questionable, his shooting is still streaky, and there are nights where he looks lost guarding off-ball players.
Still, the Cavaliers could make some sense on paper. They went 52-30 and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, but their lack of athletic, bigger wing defenders really showed up as a weakness in the playoffs. Kuminga’s physical tools could help plug that hole.
The problem for Cleveland is the salary cap situation. They are already above the second apron, which means they can’t easily use the mid-level exception or take him in a sign-and-trade without clearing some money first. It won’t be easy, but if they really want him, there are probably three different paths they could take.
Right now, Kuminga is stuck between his potential and what he has actually delivered so far. The next few days or weeks could be very important for where his career goes next.
1. Sign Kuminga With The $6.1 Million Mid-Level Exception
The simplest way for the Cavaliers to get Jonathan Kuminga wouldn’t even need to involve the Hawks. If LeBron James decides to go somewhere else, Cleveland could open up their $6.1 million taxpayer mid-level exception and offer Kuminga a one-year prove-it deal.
The bigger exception is worth $15.1 million, but the Cavs can’t just jump to that if James doesn’t sign. Getting under the first apron to use the full MLE would mean clearing more than $28 million in salary, which is basically a Jarrett Allen-level trade. That’s not realistic right now.
The $6.1 million version is much more doable. Cleveland is sitting around $222.2 million in payroll, just a bit over the second apron. They could move Sam Merrill’s $9.2 million contract into another team’s cap space without taking salary back, drop below the apron, and then use the taxpayer MLE on Kuminga. Merrill had a solid year (12.8 points, 42.1% from three), so the Cavs might even get a small asset instead of having to attach money.
Now, the big question is whether Kuminga would actually take it. He would probably only say yes after every other option falls through. His market has been pretty quiet and honest with him: the Lakers are only offering around $10 million a year, the Hawks already passed on giving him $24.3 million, and no one else is rushing to meet his $25 million demand.
A one-year, $6.1 million deal would let him start at small forward next to Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. He would get a fresh start in free agency in 2027, and it helps that Kenny Atkinson already knows him from their time together with the Warriors. Atkinson might actually give him the consistent minutes and clear role he never really got under Steve Kerr.
Honestly, this feels like the best option for Cleveland. There’s almost no long-term risk. Kuminga gets a chance to show he’s worth bigger money next summer, and if the same old issues with consistency, decision-making, and outside shooting pop up again, the Cavs can just move on. Yeah, he would hate taking that kind of pay cut, but at some point his camp has to face reality: the NBA isn’t paying him like a $25 million player right now.
2. Give Kuminga The Same Two-Year, $20.0 Million Deal Reportedly Discussed By The Lakers
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (sign-and-trade, two-year, $40.0 million contract)
Atlanta Hawks Receive: Max Strus, Sam Merrill
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Dennis Schroder, 2029 second-round pick
This would be the middle-ground option. Kuminga gets $20 million per year, double what the Lakers are reportedly offering, while the Cavaliers have to do some real work to get under the first apron.
To make the money fit, Cleveland would move out Max Strus ($16.7 million), Dennis Schroder ($14.8 million), and Sam Merrill ($9.2 million). That would drop their payroll by more than $20 million, bringing them down to around $201.6 million before filling out the rest of the roster. They would probably need to waive a non-guaranteed guy like Craig Porter Jr. first to get below the second apron and make the salaries work.
For the Hawks, this is a decent recovery for a player they could lose for nothing in free agency. They had a solid 46-36 season as the sixth seed before falling to the Knicks, and they’re still building around Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, and now Lu Dort. Strus brings playoff experience on an expiring deal, and Merrill is one of the better movement shooters in the league on a reasonable contract.
The Nets would take on Schroder using part of their cap space and pick up a second-rounder as the main incentive. Schroder put up 10.8 points and 4.9 assists last season, but he shot just 40.5% from the field and 32.9% from three. He can help run a young bench, but the pick is really what Brooklyn would be after here.
From Cleveland’s side, I’m not crazy about giving up three rotation pieces for Kuminga, even with no first-round pick involved. Merrill is a much better shooter, Strus has been through big moments, and Schroder gives them another ball-handler behind Mitchell and Harden.
But the Cavs have a clear need for a bigger, more athletic wing. Their perimeter group is full of guys between 6’1” and 6’5”, and Kuminga would bring something different. He can guard bigger forwards, run the floor in transition, and attack smaller defenders in the paint.
At $20 million a year, the deal still feels a little rich to me. Kuminga hasn’t really earned that money based on what he has shown so far. Cleveland would basically be paying for the potential of what he could become, the same conversation people have been having about him since he came into the league. He’s only 23 and the cap keeps going up, so maybe they can flip the contract later if it doesn’t work out. But right now, it’s still a bet more than a sure thing.
3. Give Kuminga The $24.0 Million Per Year He Wants
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (sign-and-trade, four-year, $96.0 million contract)
Atlanta Hawks Receive: Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Onyeka Okongwu, 2032 second-round pick
This would be the big swing version, and in my opinion, it would be a pretty terrible move for the Cavaliers. Kuminga would walk away with a four-year, $96 million contract, starting around $24 million per season. To make the money work, Cleveland would have to send out Jarrett Allen ($28 million), Sam Merrill ($9.2 million), and Jaylon Tyson ($3.7 million) to get under the first apron.
For the Hawks, this looks like a pretty sweet return. They would replace Okongwu with a proven starting center in Allen, plus add a good shooter in Merrill and a young wing in Tyson. Allen had a really solid year at 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 63.8% shooting, including a monster Game 7 with 22 points, 19 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in the playoffs.
The Nets would simply absorb Okongwu’s $16.1 million salary into their cap space and grab an extra second-round pick. Okongwu averaged 15.2 points at 58% shooting last season, so Brooklyn gets a young, quality center instead of just taking on salary for nothing.
Money-wise, the deal works. But the value for Cleveland? Not good at all. They would be giving up a reliable starting center, one of the best shooters on the roster, and a promising young player just to pay Kuminga basically the same money the Hawks refused to give him.
And that’s the part that bothers me the most. Atlanta declined his $24.3 million team option. Then Kuminga hit free agency asking for around $25 million a year, even though he only averaged 12.2 points, couldn’t lock down a consistent role with the Warriors, and didn’t do enough with the Hawks to change minds.
I’m not sure where his camp thinks the leverage is coming from. Kuminga has the athleticism and size, sure. He has some scoring pops that look really nice. But he’s not a consistent three-point shooter, he’s not an elite defender, and he hasn’t shown he can create offense or be a reliable third piece on a real contender. He still feels more like a high-upside project than a $100 million guy.
On top of that, a big contract like this would create some tough lineup questions. Kuminga shot just 33.3% from three, and pairing him with Mobley in the frontcourt could give opponents even more chances to help off the weak-side shooter. Losing Allen would mean more minutes at center for Mobley, but it would also remove Cleveland’s best rebounder and most dependable big man inside.
The whole idea would be that Kenny Atkinson can finally unlock Kuminga’s potential. That’s possible, I guess. But I wouldn’t trade away Jarrett Allen and Jaylon Tyson just to find out.
The Cavaliers should keep talking to Kuminga because his physical tools fit a real need on the wing. A one-year deal around the taxpayer mid-level would be great, and even the two-year, $40 million version could work if they’re desperate for size. But a four-year, $96 million commitment? That should be a hard no.
At the end of the day, Kuminga needs a good situation more than Cleveland needs him. Their offer should reflect that reality.
