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Kuminga’s options are increasingly limited. With Watson headed to Cleveland,
that sign-and-trade destination is off the table for the athletic wing and
shrinks his choices.
Two teams are at the table: The Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota
Timberwolves. Which team is in the driver’s seat depends on which source one
talks to.
Ultimately, Kuminga is stuck because it’s highly unlikely he’s going to get
the money he wants — Atlanta did not pick up his $24.3 million team option
and Kuminga initially hoped for a deal in the ballpark, or at least above the
mid-level exception. He turned down the Lakers’ early offer of two years,
$20 million, with a key role on the team to boost his value and a deal that
gets him back on the market quickly, but Kuminga reportedly rejected that
because he thought it was a lowball. Now, he might be lucky to get that.
The Lakers and Hawks talked sign-and-trade earlier this summer, but those
talks stalled out because Atlanta is not looking to add salary (it is only
$3.8 million below the luxury tax line, and Kuminga currently counts as zero
for them). Or, at least Atlanta is not interested without a quality draft
pick as an incentive, and the Lakers would not go there. Also, Atlanta
currently has 17 players under contract heading into training camp and needs
to shed at least two, not add players.
The Lakers and Hawks are talking sign-and-trade again, with guard Jaden
Hardey reportedly in the conversation (he makes $6 million this season),
while previously that was Jared Vanderbilt ($12.4 million).
Kuminga’s other issue? Any sign-and-trade contract has to be for at least
three years. That would lock him into a deal he believes is below his market
value for longer than he wants.
Which is why Minnesota sits there, with $6 million of its mid-level exception
that he can walk right into, no sign-and-trade. He’d get to play with LaMelo
Ball and Anthony Edwards. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst put it this way on his Hoop
Collective Podcast:
“Watch the Wolves in the next couple days... It’s still open, there’s
still a window for the Lakers to do a Kuminga sign-and-trade. A
sign-and-trade has to be three years. Now that these other doors are closing,
the Timberwolves can close that deal and sign Kuminga.”
Kuminga reportedly likes the idea of playing for the Lakers — who would
start him at the four — as a better fit.
But is he? Kuminga wants to be a scorer, he’s wanted the ball in his hands.
In Los Angeles, where Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have the ball, will he
fit into the system and play a role? It’s the same question in Minnesota.
Before you say “of course he will,” remember that clash was at the core of
his issues with Steve Kerr in Golden State.
Kuminga 現在的選擇正變得越來越少。隨著 Watson 即將前往克里夫蘭，原本可能透過先
簽後換加盟克里夫蘭的這條路也被堵死了，這名運動能力出色的側翼球員能選擇的下家因
此又少了一個。
目前桌面上有兩支球隊：洛杉磯湖人和明尼蘇達灰狼。至於究竟是哪支球隊處於主導位置
，則要看你問的是哪個消息來源。
歸根究柢，Kuminga 現在陷入困境，是因為他想要的薪資很可能拿不到——亞特蘭大沒有
執行他 2,430 萬美元的球隊選項，而 Kuminga 原本希望拿到一份大約這個價碼的合約，
至少也希望高於中產特例。
湖人最早曾開出一份 2 年 2,000 萬美元的合約，他拒絕了。這份合約除了薪資之外，也
承諾給他球隊中的重要角色，讓他有機會提升自己的市場價值，而且兩年後就能很快再次
成為自由球員。但據報導，Kuminga 認為這份報價太低，因此拒絕了。現在，他可能反而
會覺得當初那份報價已經很不錯了。
湖人和老鷹今年夏天稍早曾談過先簽後換，但談判陷入停滯，原因是亞特蘭大並不想增加
薪資負擔——目前他們距離豪華稅線只剩 380 萬美元的空間，而 Kuminga 目前在老鷹的
薪資帳面上是 0 美元。
或者更準確地說，如果沒有高品質的選秀權作為誘因，亞特蘭大就沒有興趣進行這筆交易
，而湖人也不願意付出這樣的選秀資產。
另外，老鷹目前在訓練營開始前已經有 17 名球員處於合約狀態，他們至少還需要清掉兩
名球員，而不是再增加一名球員。
現在湖人和老鷹又重新開始討論先簽後換，據報導，後衛 Jaden Hardy 也被放進討論之
中（他本季薪資是 600 萬美元）；之前談判中涉及的球員則是 Jared Vanderbilt（本季
薪資 1,240 萬美元）。
Kuminga 另外還有一個問題：
任何先簽後換的合約，至少都必須簽 3 年。這代表他可能必須長期綁在一份他認為低於
自己市場價值的合約上，而且時間比他希望的更久。這也就是為什麼明尼蘇達現在仍然擺
在那裡。
灰狼有 600 萬美元的中產特例可以直接拿來簽下他，完全不需要透過先簽後換。而且他
還可以和 LaMelo Ball 以及 Anthony Edwards 一起打球。
ESPN 的 Brian Windhorst 在他的《Hoop Collective》Podcast 中這樣說：
「接下來幾天注意一下灰狼……湖人要進行 Kuminga 的先簽後換，這條路仍然存在，機
會還沒完全關閉。先簽後換必須簽至少三年。現在，隨著其他幾扇門一扇扇關上，灰狼就
可以把這筆交易談成，直接簽下 Kuminga。」
據報導，Kuminga 比較喜歡加盟湖人的想法——湖人會讓他擔任四號位（大前鋒），他認
為這樣的定位比較適合自己。
但真的比較適合嗎？
Kuminga 想成為一名得分手，他一直希望球在自己手上、希望有更多持球進攻的機會。
但在洛杉磯，球權主要會在 Luka Doncic 和 Austin Reaves 手上，他真的能融入這套體
系、找到適合自己的角色嗎？
而在明尼蘇達，其實也是同樣的問題。
在你說「當然可以啊，他一定能融入」之前，別忘了——這正是他當年在金州勇士和
Steve Kerr 發生問題的核心之一。