The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a major setback after failing to acquire Jonathan Kuminga, a target they pursued throughout the offseason, who ultimately joined the Minnesota Timberwolves, dashing what seemed like the Lakers’ dream scenario heading into the 2026-27 NBA season.
After failing in their pursuit, Los Angeles is now understood to be looking to move another player in the opposite direction in the form of Jaden Hardy. Drafted in 2022 as the No. 37 pick by the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers’ “dream scenario” was sending Hardy to another team in the Kuminga deal, per Heavy’s Sean Deveney.
However, because that plan fell through, the franchise now simply wants to move on from him. How that unfolds remains to be seen, as Hardy originally arrived as part of the deal involving DeAndre Ayton in July.
Kuminga joins direct Western Conference rival
While the Lakers missed out on Kuminga, the after-effects are evidently still being felt. The former Golden State Warriors forward agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Timberwolves despite the Lakers being viewed as the favorites for a considerable amount of time.
Jonathan Kuminga celebrates.
What hurts most is that he joins a direct Western Conference competitor—a squad that has built itself up surprisingly fast for many after acquiring LaMelo Ball, followed by the addition of Kuminga to support leader Anthony Edwards.
The Lakers’ frontcourt need
The Lakers, needing frontcourt help after losing LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes and trading away DeAndre Ayton, aggressively pursued Kuminga and reportedly upped their offer to a three-year deal worth roughly $36 million (about $12 million annually).
Attention now turns to whether the Lakers plan to make one more move to bolster their frontcourt or if the squad will attempt to address the issue with what it already has—a difficult task for head coach JJ Redick ahead of the upcoming NBA season.
