The Lakers may have come up short on signing Jonathan Kuminga, who’s joining the Timberwolves, and the opportunity to add a wing/forward who’d be a Day 1 starter.
But the missed opportunity should create other opportunities for players already on the roster.
With the Lakers unlikely to make a significant move before training camp starts at the end of September, the answer to the question of who will be the fifth starter alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler and (presumably) Quentin Grimes is probably already on the roster.
And the trickle-down effect of who’ll grab that final starting spot will be felt throughout the roster.
Here are a few players who should directly benefit from the Lakers not adding Kuminga:
Jake LaRavia
LaRavia’s prominence on last season’s Lakers team shouldn’t be overlooked.
He not only played in all 82 regular season games, but his 2,061 total regular-season minutes played ranked No. 2 among all Lakers for 2025-26 behind Doncic (2,289 minutes).
Among players Nos. 3-11, only Austin Reaves (1,762 minutes for No. 7) and Jarred Vanderbilt (1,128 minutes for No. 9) are still on the team after a summer of roster reconstruction.
LaRavia will be an important part of the Lakers’ 2026-27 season.
If Kumimga was in the fold, it would’ve been reasonable to expect LaRavia’s playing time (he averaged a career-high 25.1 minutes last season) to dip in 2026-27.
But without Kuminga, the 6-foot-7 LaRavia should be a part of the competition to figure out the last starting spot, and have opportunities to build off last season.
At 24 years old (he turns 25 in November) and entering his fifth season in the league, LaRavia should have room to grow in multiple areas.
And with the talented youngster on the final season of the two-year deal he signed with the Lakers last year, it’ll be a crucial season before he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Adou Thiero
From a physical profile standpoint, Thiero (6-foot-8, 220 pounds) and Kuminga (6-foot-7, 225 pounds) have similarities.
Including elite athleticism and quickness for their size.
But Kuminga is far ahead of Thiero when it comes to offensive skill and production. Without Kuminga though, there’s a pathway for Thiero to be on the fringes of the rotation.
The second-year Lakers forward, who was sidelined for parts of last season because of lower-body injuries and spent most of 2025-26 in the G League, ended the year getting consistent minutes in the playoffs.
Thiero’s performances in July during summer league in San Francisco and Las Vegas showed he’s still pretty raw and has plenty of development ahead of him.
And that playing time should be easier to come by if the Lakers are looking for a bigger wing who can be a lob threat, strong rebounder and hold their own defensively against bigger forwards – all things that would’ve been asked of Kuminga that Thiero is equipped to handle.
Jarred Vanderbilt
If Thiero isn’t ready to handle a bigger role yet, Vanderbilt would be in line for more playing time opportunities.
The ninth-year forward wasn’t a consistent part of the rotation when the Lakers were healthy last season.
But he still played 65 regular games in 2025-26, and was on the court for seven of the 10 playoff games.
It’s assumed around the league that Vanderbilt will pick up his $13.3 million player option for 2027-28, so this upcoming season won’t be a make-or-break season.
But potentially having more chances to contribute on the court will help him rebuild his value.
