LeBron James’ Free Agency Delay Is Creating a Backup Plan Problem for Jonathan Kuminga

Jonathan Kuminga is one of the better forwards left on the free agent board. But he’s stuck in neutral right now. And the reason is pretty simple: LeBron James hasn’t made his decision yet.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Kuminga’s market is basically on hold while teams wait to see where James ends up. The Cavaliers have interest in the 23-year-old — Kenny Atkinson, who coached Kuminga in Golden State, is a known fan — but Cleveland is also in the mix for James. So they’re playing the waiting game like everyone else.

“Yet it remained unclear as of Saturday morning just how quickly Kuminga’s future can be resolved given the ongoing LeBron Sweepstakes,” Stein wrote. The Cavs are naturally hoping for more time to let James’ process play out before they move on anything else.

Atlanta is another team to watch here. The Hawks are reportedly open to either re-signing Kuminga or working out a sign-and-trade. Milwaukee has also sniffed around. But none of that is likely to move fast until the James domino falls.

Kuminga is coming off a weird season in Golden State. He showed flashes of being a dynamic two-way wing, but the Warriors never fully committed to giving him consistent starter minutes. He’s looking for a place where he can play meaningful minutes and maybe even start. The Lakers could be that spot, given how thin they are at forward. But the Lakers are also one of the teams waiting on James, so nothing is happening there yet either.

This is how free agency works sometimes. One guy at the top — in this case, James — freezes the entire market below him. Teams don’t want to commit cap space or trade assets to a Kuminga deal only to miss out on LeBron because they ran out of flexibility. It’s a hierarchy thing.

Kuminga is talented enough that he won’t be waiting forever. Someone will pay him. But the timing of his free agency just happens to overlap with the league’s biggest annual drama: where is LeBron playing next? And until that gets answered, a lot of other stuff — including Kuminga’s next contract — is going to sit on pause.