Pivoting is the running theme of Rob Pelinka’s aggressive retooling campaign. They leaped from Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren to Walker Kessler. Then, they got Kevon Looney when Andre Drummond signed with the Knicks. Now the Los Angeles Lakers are aggressively combing the open market for an athletic wing. Their favorite for that had been Jonathan Kuminga. But his staggering financial demands have forced the front office to pivot toward a thriftier fallback option.

Veteran NBA insider Jake Fischer said during a live broadcast from the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas that the Lakers and Kuminga reached a stalemate. Kuminga is seeking a lucrative payout that heavily exceeds what competitive teams are prepared to offer in the current financial climate.

“I do believe that Kuminga is looking for something more than that $25 million ballpark that he landed last year from Golden State,” Fischer reported. “Quite frankly, I find it difficult to imagine he’s going to find that number on this marketplace.”

$25 million was close to his last salary with the Golden State Warriors and closer to the $24.3 million option that the Atlanta Hawks declined. The Lakers were under the impression that his asking price was $20 million.

With Kuminga’s asking price well out of Los Angeles’ realistic comfort zone, the Lakers have officially turned their sights toward former Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams. The Nets just declined his $6.3 million team option after the career year he’s had. Williams comes with potential and depth at a very affordable price.

To shore up their interior and deepen their bench, the Lakers spent over $250 million acquiring Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton in the process.

That’s excluding the $185 million investment in Austin Reaves to create a powerhouse backcourt with Luka Doncic.

But their new star duo have deficiencies in the perimeter. The Lakers were still on the hunt for a starting wing. Several league insiders claimed that the Lakers were counting on Kuminga to sign on a discount for better rotation minutes. The kind that he didn’t get in the Bay.

Fischer revealed that Los Angeles has remained persistent but conservative with its financial structure, stating:

“They have made offers to Jonathan Kuminga repeatedly. Last I heard, two years, $20 million was what the Lakers were hoping for.”

But JK’s inflated value once again seems to become his undoing.

Ziaire Williams could upset the Jonathan Kuminga sweepstakes

Jonathan Kuminga’s situation once again looks like a Shark Tank pitch, where the discrepancy between his valuation and the Lakers’ corporate needs is massive. Instead of Mr. Wonderful ripping him to shreds, the Lakers moved on.

According to a report from Khobi Price of The California Post, Los Angeles has spent the last couple of days monitoring the 6’9 forward, Ziaire Williams.

“Ziaire Williams, who’s coming off a career-year with the Nets, is a player the Lakers eyed after the Nets declined Williams’ $6.3 million team option to make him an unrestricted free agent,” Price reported.

Williams brings a highly enticing blend of size and potential, fresh off a career-best campaign where he averaged 10.2 points and shot a much-improved 34.3% from beyond the arc for Brooklyn.

While he presents a viable alternative, Pelinka continues to explore a complex sign-and-trade framework with the Hawks. Atlanta is reportedly open to negotiations involving Jarred Vanderbilt in exchange for Kuminga.

If that doesn’t work out, pivoting to Williams on a team-friendly deal would give the Lakers the athletic perimeter defender they desperately crave without getting into a tight financial bind.

Because a standard sign-and-trade deal requires a minimum three-year commitment, Pelinka’s preference for a shorter, flexible two-year deal has left both parties at a standstill.

With Kuminga holding out for a premier starting salary, the Lakers can no longer afford to leave their small forward position entirely vacant.

Faced with the possibility of being priced out of the Kuminga sweepstakes, the Lakers might just have to proactively pursue Williams.