Jonathan Kuminga’s agent: ‘Jonathan likes the Cavs, likes Kenny Atkinson’

The Cavaliers’ interest in Jonathan Kuminga isn’t one-sided. Kuminga has interest in Cleveland, too.

“Jonathan likes the Cavs, likes (coach) Kenny Atkinson, and (star) Donovan Mitchell likes him,” Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, told Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Turner added that Kuminga likes Cleveland and spent a couple months training there during the 2025 offseason.

According to Vardon, the Cavs have remained in communication with Kuminga and Turner throughout free agency. Turner himself is from Northeast Ohio.

The connection with Atkinson is another factor. Atkinson worked with Kuminga as Steve Kerr’s top assistant with the Warriors before taking the Cavs job.

Now that LeBron James has chosen the 76ers, Cleveland has considerably more clarity about what comes next.

As Hoops Wire reported earlier Friday, sources say the Cavs have some bigger names on their radar that have yet to surface publicly. Kuminga, though, has clearly been among their known targets for weeks.

The question is how Cleveland gets him. Vardon reports that Kuminga is seeking somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million to $23 million annually, likely requiring a sign-and-trade with the Hawks.

The Cavs could offer considerably less using their taxpayer mid-level exception, but Kuminga is looking for more than that.

A sign-and-trade would therefore require Atlanta’s cooperation and almost certainly some roster maneuvering from Cleveland. Max Strus and Dennis Schroder have been mentioned as potential trade candidates, though there’s no indication that either is definitely headed out.

Meanwhile, James Harden’s expected return remains another piece of Cleveland’s offseason puzzle.

So yes, there are hurdles. But the interest in Kuminga is real, and apparently mutual.

More importantly for the Cavs, they can finally start acting on it now that the month-long LeBron wait is over.