In a few hours, Jonathan Kuminga’s future will become crystal clear. The saga began in the offseason, when the 23-year-old even accepted a new contract, yet this season has unfolded much the same. Despite starting the season hot, it has resulted in multiple DNPs as the distrust with head coach Steve Kerr continues.

“As Jonathan Kuminga becomes trade-eligible tomorrow, do not count out the Chicago Bulls as a potential landing spot. While the writing is on the wall for Golden State to move Kuminga, Chicago would fit the bill as a team willing to take a flyer on the 23-year-old slasher,” wrote Jake Weinbach on X.

The Chicago Bulls have been inquiring about Kuminga for some time now. He even fits the “young player with experience” mold, as the Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas stated before. And it falls right into place, given the franchise has a lot of expiring contracts to cash in on. Nikola Vučević, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, and Coby White are all on expiring contracts at $13 million or higher.

With that, an exit from Golden State appears to be only a matter of time, as the head coach has failed to inspire confidence in the Congolese forward.

“I’m just gonna say, it’s a difficult situation,” Kerr told 95.7 The Game on Wednesday. “I think you guys know it. Everybody knows it. We have to control what we can control and try to keep moving the ship forward. This is not an easy situation. It’s not an easy one to talk about, frankly. I try to protect everybody organizationally, and nobody’s winning right now with this situation, and it’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”

Though Jonathan Kuminga got off to a hot start this season, he was unable to sustain it and has not seen action since Dec. 18. That’s why, when JK becomes trade-eligible on Thursday, he is largely expected to get traded straight away. Apart from the Bulls, the Kings, Mavericks, and Lakers could also make sense as a landing spot for him.

So far, he has just averaged 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from the three-point line. This is significantly lower than his career averages of 50.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.1 percent from the three-point line. Yet, he has attracted significant attention.

Can the Lakers swoop in to revive Jonathan Kuminga’s career?

While the trade talks continued, Steve Kerr’s words only discredited JK’s trade value. Multiple times, the head coach has called the 23-year-old not a great fit alongside his starters: “It was going to be tricky to start JK, Jimmy, Draymond, at the 2,3, and 4. I think anybody can see that’s a tough combination based on shooting.”

Now, this has led to JK’s trade value being reportedly at an “all-time low.”

NBA reporter Jake Fischer detailed that the Lakers “did call Golden State about Jonathan Kuminga during the sides’ summer standoff in restricted free agency. I’m told that the Lakers have likewise continued to monitor Kuminga’s situation while casting a wide net to try to find help on a very limited wing market.”

Top Stories

Tragic Death of Shaq & Kobe’s Ex-Teammate Linked to Fatal Mistake, Authorities Confirm

Is Kevin Durant Dating EJ Johnson? Fact Checking Viral Claim

“Tired of Being Told What I Can’t Do”: Rich Paul Refuses to Budge After LeBron James Distances Himself

South Florida Medical Professional Arrested After Incident at Unrivaled Basketball Event

Unrivaled CEO Alex Bazzell Downplays Concern as Year 2 Ratings Slide Raises Questions

With no updates on Miami’s Andrew Wiggins and the Pelicans’ Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III, the Lakers need to find a solution fast. And who better than Jonathan Kuminga, a player who has been waiting for a clean slate for quite some time?