The Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed a strong start to the season, but they are currently mired in a rough patch, losing four of their last five games. This has prompted Rob Pelinka to look for ways to upgrade the roster around Luka Doncic and LeBron James to stay in title contention. Along those lines, rumors of a potential acquisition of a Golden State’s forward have intensified following Jonathan Kuminga’s recent decision on his Warriors future, where he demanded a trade out of the Bay Area.
In light of this, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports reported that the Lakers are planning to package Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent in a deal for a wing. “Here’s what I’m hearing about the Lakers. With the Lakers, the word on the street is they’re trying to package Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent together for a wing,” O’Connor reported.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the Lakers will offer Vincent and Vanderbilt to the Warriors specifically for Kuminga, though. In fact, that’s a deal where the Warriors wouldn’t benefit much, as losing Kuminga would mean giving up one of their most athletic players without receiving equal value in return from Vincent and Vanderbilt.
However, O’Connor also reported that the Lakers are looking to flip their 2032 first-round pick for multiple first-rounders to include them in a potential package with Vincent, Vanderbilt, or even Maxi Kleber. This strategy could give the Lakers a legitimate shot at pursuing elite wings like Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, or even Kuminga.
“So it seems like the Lakers are looking for two or three firsts that are worse individually than their future first, giving them more parts to put together in like Vincent plus Vanderbilt, or Vincent plus Kleber types of packages. The Lakers are definitely looking for a wing; I think they definitely have interest in Herb Jones—probably too pricey—Trey Murphy, and Kuminga maybe,” O’Connor added.
Rob Pelinka is high on Kuminga
An athletic wing is exactly what the Lakers currently need to complement Luka Doncic and LeBron James. While Rui Hachimura provides significant scoring and solid three-point shooting, he lacks the elite athletic traits that Kuminga could bring to the roster.
Furthermore, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka is a fan of Kuminga’s game and is intrigued by the idea of adding his athleticism to the wing on a Doncic-led team.
“Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka is a fan of Kuminga’s, sources say, and likes the idea of him as an athletic wing on a Luka Doncic-led team. The Warriors have been aware of the Lakers’ likeness for Kuminga, though it’s unclear how likely an in-season move between the two teams is,” Johnson reported.