NBA rumors: Lakers lining up Kuminga sign-and-trade, Warriors need one more trade to convince LeBron

While the first wave of NBA free agency is in the rear-view mirror, many big names remain available. Nobody knows what LeBron James has in mind for what could be the final season of his illustrious career. Nobody knows what'll happen with high-end restricted free agents like Jalen Duren or Peyton Watson, either.

The first wave of free agency brought several meaningful changes both by way of the open market and via trade, but there's a lot more that's yet to come. With that in mind, let's take a look at the most recent batch of NBA rumors.

Hawks' Jonathan Kuminga asking price in Lakers sign-and-trade revealed

• Hawks are interested in a sign-and-trade that'd send Jonathan Kuminga to the Lakers for Jared Vanderbilt and a 2032 first-round pick swap.
• A swap is the only way the Lakers can move a first-round pick after their Walker Kessler trade.

The Los Angeles Lakers are a team trying to get better without many avenues to do so. Not only did they give Austin Reaves a massive extension, but they also pried Walker Kessler away from the Jazz with substantial draft capital and significant salary. They don't have any cap space or high-end draft picks to move, which is why, if they want Jonathan Kuminga, their only way to get him would be via a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks know this, and that's why, despite declining his $24.3 million club option earlier in the offseason, their reported asking price is Jarred Vanderbilt and a 2032 first-round pick swap, per Khobi Price of the NY Post. Vanderbilt doesn't hold much trade value, but the real prize is that pick swap, which could be incredibly valuable, with Luka Dončić only under contract through the 2029 campaign as of now.

The Kuminga fit makes a good amount of sense for the Lakers. He might not necessarily be the defensive upgrade they need, and his tenure with the Golden State Warriors didn't exactly go as planned, but the Lakers could certainly use help on the wing after losing both LeBron James and Rui Hachimura in free agency, and Kuminga figures to be a nice fit alongside Dončić as an athletic rim-running forward.

Warriors need to acquire Anthony Davis for LeBron James to consider signing with them

• LeBron James would seriously consider signing with the Warriors if they trade for Anthony Davis.
• Warriors are a longshot if they can't trade for Davis.

When it was revealed that LeBron James was leaving the Lakers, the Golden State Warriors were seen as one of the favorites to sign him. Buzz in that regard had died down of late, but now, ESPN's Shams Charania outlined how Golden State might actually find a way to lure LeBron to the Bay Area.

"I think LeBron's been open-minded, but the Warriors' whole plan going into free agency was, 'Okay, let's see if we can get Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis,'" said ESPN's Shams Charania on Stephen A. Smith's radio show. "I think the big draw for LeBron with the Warriors would be seeing if there's an avenue to be a package deal with Davis," added Charania. "Short of that, I don't think the Warriors are high on his list, and I think the Warriors themselves believe they're not on that list unless they're able to trade for Anthony Davis."

The Warriors already have Steph Curry under contract and are expected to re-sign Draymond Green even after he surprisingly declined his player option earlier this offseason, but an Anthony Davis trade is far from guaranteed. Davis is currently on a Washington Wizards team that just traded for the future Hall of Famer at this past year's deadline and plans on taking a real step forward this season - are we sure they'll be so willing to trade him? Even if they are, will the Warriors be comfortable parting with anything meaningful to assemble quite possibly the oldest core in NBA history?

It'll be interesting to see what happens. Either way, it's good to have clarity. If the Warriors find a way to acquire Davis, it's game on for LeBron. If not, you can probably count them out.

DeMar DeRozan is open to Raptors reunion

• DeMar DeRozan is open to a Raptors reunion after Kawhi Leonard trade.
• More likely DeRozan ends up with a team LeBron James doesn't sign with.

The Toronto Raptors famously traded DeMar DeRozan in the deal that brought Kawhi Leonard, and eventually an NBA title, to Canada. More than half a decade later, the Raptors re-acquired Leonard (at least assuming the NBA doesn't find him guilty of any shady business), and DeRozan is expressing interest in a return to Toronto, per Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer. Whether the Raptors share that same interest, though, is a bit unclear.

“He’s almost certainly going to be on a vet minimum somewhere else. Could it be Toronto? ... DeMar has interest in going back to the Raptors, but I think DeMar’s most likely landing spots are going to be teams that don’t get LeBron James," Fischer revealed on Bleacher Report. “I think the Miamis, Cleveland, Golden State, I think those teams are all going to be in the play for him if they don’t get LeBron.”

A Raptors reunion would be fun and make a good amount of basketball sense for DeRozan, who was recently waived by the Sacramento Kings. He remains an efficient scorer, averaging 18.4 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting from the field last season. He still doesn't provide any value from three-point range, but he'd provide a scoring punch to Toronto's second unit that the team could use. It sounds unlikely, but DeRozan playing a contributing role on another Raptors championship team would be quite the storyline.

James Harden is fine waiting on LeBron James' decision

• James Harden is comfortable waiting for LeBron James to make FA decision.
• Harden is expected to get multi-year deal from Cavs regardless of what LeBron decides.

While all the free agency attention is on LeBron James, it's worth noting that James Harden is currently unsigned as well. While LeBron seems to not have a clue as to where he'll end up, Harden's lack of a decision is by design. He knows where he wants to go, but wants to wait and see what LeBron decides before doing it, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

"James Harden will be going back to the Cavaliers," Charania said, "Just depending on how this shakes out with LeBron James and other upgrades the Cavs are able to make. He will be back, my understanding is on a multi-year deal. Whether that is a two-year deal, a three-year deal, a lot of that shakes out after the Cavs' offseason moves. But I am told James Harden, his reps are on the same page with the Cavs. They want to give the organization as much flexibility as possible to see what upgrades they can make, because they know there needs to be some level of upgrade on the roster, especially on the wings. So whether it is LeBron James, a guy like Jonathan Kuminga, this is a Cavs group led by Koby Altman, president of basketball operations, that is being aggressive here in the market, and that starts with LeBron James."

Harden wants to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Cavs want him back. What's particularly interesting about what's going on is that Harden appears willing to wait as long as he needs to give the Cavs as much time as they need to make as many moves as possible to build the best team they can. That's quite the change of pace from the guy who has demanded trades away from several NBA teams.

Harden giving the Cavs time to figure out a way to sign LeBron or even add a player like Jonathan Kuminga could help give Cleveland the necessary depth it needs to compete for an NBA title, and the fact that he's expected to get a multi-year deal regardless is just the cherry on top from his point of view.

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