If the Atlanta Hawks are serious about making Jonathan Kuminga talks work, then the Los Angeles Lakers should not be the team they keep calling back. This is one of those trade situations where the cleaner football — yes, basketball, but the logic is the same — is also the smarter business. The Hawks do not seem desperate for Kuminga, they do not have to force a sign-and-trade they do not want, and that gives them leverage. They should use it.
The reason is simple. A Lakers deal would likely mean taking back Jarred Vanderbilt's contract, which is exactly the kind of complication that turns a movable idea into a messy one. The Hawks are being asked to chase upside, not to volunteer for long-term clutter. If the price of doing business is bad money attached to the wrong side of the ledger, then the answer should be obvious.
Cleveland and Minnesota make far more sense
That is why the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves look like the better paths in the ongoing Jonathan Kuminga sweepstakes. Both were reported to have shown at least some sort of interest in trading for him this summer, and neither would force the Hawks to take on bad money that runs beyond this season. In a market like this, that matters. A lot.
It is not that the Lakers cannot be part of the conversation. It is that they are a less attractive partner for the Hawks if the deal comes with Jarred Vanderbilt and all the baggage that creates. By contrast, a Cavaliers or Timberwolves route keeps the structure cleaner. If Atlanta is not fully sold on Kuminga anyway, then there is no good reason to make the transaction more awkward than it already is.
This is the part of trade season that gets dressed up as ambition when it is often just impatience. The Hawks can afford to be selective here. They should be asking which deal gives them the best flexibility, not which one sounds loudest on social media. On that front, the answer is not complicated: cut the Lakers out, and keep the focus on Cleveland and Minnesota.
