All summer, the Minnesota Timberwolves found themselves in the middle of a recruiting battle that they always lose. Needing an answer at power forward after trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the Wolves had their sights set on Jonathan Kuminga, an ultra-athletic player who has tempted and frustrated his coaches in five NBA seasons. The mercurial nature of his career up to this point meant that there was no frenzy for his services, which at least gave them hope that they could convince him to come to the land of ice and snow. There were two main obstacles in his search. First, after acquiring LaMelo Ball from Charlotte, the Wolves had very little money to spend on the free agent market. Second, the Los Angeles Lakers also wanted Kuminga and were willing to double the best offer Minnesota could make. During their 37 years in the league, those circumstances have always conspired to sink the Wolves. Instead of bowing to history, Anthony Edwards, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and a new ownership duo of Marc Stad and Alex Rodriguez teamed up to court Kuminga and address their roster’s biggest weakness. When they learned Wednesday night that Kuminga had decided to accept a two-year, $12 million contract (including a player option in the second year) over a three-year offer worth more than $36 million from the Lakers, it was further validation of the progress the organization has made in the past. four years. The Timberwolves couldn’t offer long-term money or security. They couldn’t offer a glamorous market or good weather. What they offered, according to team and league sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations, was an opportunity for Kuminga to play big minutes for a Western Conference contender and repair his value on the free agent market in the process. Where is LeBron’s new team located? Law MurrayKuminga is no LeBron James, a superstar the Wolves lobbied for in the belief that signing him would instantly launch them into championship contention. But he brings something they needed after trading Randle and Reid. His athleticism, 6-foot-7, 225-pound frame and defensive potential make him the most natural power forward on the roster, and he was by far the most attractive option left on the market. Kuminga was the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and spent his first four and a half seasons with the Golden State Warriors. He was intended to be a prominent component of the organization’s “two-timeline” approach aimed at sustaining the team’s success as Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson aged. After an up-and-down period with the Warriors that included an NBA championship as well as an extended time out of coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, Kuminga was traded, along with Buddy Hield, to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porziņģis. That move came less than five months after Kuminga and the Warriors agreed to a two-year contract worth nearly $50 million, including a team option for Year 2, following protracted contract negotiations during his restricted free agency over the summer. Kuminga played only 16 regular season games for the Hawks, averaging 12.3 points. He reached double figures in five of Atlanta’s six playoff games in April, including a 21-point performance that helped give the Hawks a 2-1 lead in their first-round series over the eventual champion New York Knicks. After that series ended with three straight losses to the Knicks, the Hawks decided to move on. The Wolves, sources said, feel Kuminga has untapped defensive potential and a powerful, versatile playing style that could help them take on some of the toughest teams in the West, so they went after him. Connelly had lengthy conversations with Kuminga and agent Aaron Turner throughout the summer, including a flight to Miami for a face-to-face meeting, sources said. Rodriguez was a vocal member of the recruiting effort and the Wolves sought to convince Kuminga to leave more money on the table. Edwards called Kuminga all summer, letting him know the face of the franchise had his back while Kuminga considered other suitors, including the Lakers, Chicago, Portland and Cleveland, before the Cavaliers traded for Peyton Watson. Several other Wolves players also approached Kuminga. “We wanted to make sure he felt wanted here,” a team source said. An important piece of the puzzle materialized later in the process. After the Wolves acquired Ball in a blockbuster trade during the draft, they pushed their roster to the door of the second apron. That essentially left them with only a veteran’s minimum salary to offer any free agent, a figure of $3.6 million that would have left them out of consideration for Kuminga. But after Marc Lore agreed to sell the majority stake to wealthy Stad, the new ownership group allowed Connelly to be as aggressive as he needed for Kuminga, sources said. The Wolves will have to make a roster move to free up the additional $3 million and remain under the second apron. To make that happen, sources said the Wolves will likely look to trade veteran Josh Green, who makes $14.6 million. If they can’t make a move, Connelly can resign and stretch Green’s salary, meaning the Wolves would take in $4.9 million in each of the next three seasons even without Green on the team. The Timberwolves hope signing Jonathan Kuminga will solve a lot of problems for them at the 4. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images) While Kuminga has skeptics around the league, the Wolves believe his versatility is worth it. Before the signing, they were considering a platoon-type scenario at the 4, using Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark and Trey Lyles, depending on the opponent. Kuminga gives them a natural lob receiver and transition target for Ball and an isolation scorer who can score late in the shot clock when the defense focuses on Edwards. His strong rebound will also address a major weakness. Kuminga is a career 33 percent 3-point shooter, raising questions about his ability to space the floor while sharing it with two non-shooting centers: Rudy Gobert and Joan Beringer. He has also pushed for a prominent offensive role even when paired with players like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, which could be a challenge on a team loaded with offensive talent like Edwards, Ball and Jaden McDaniels. Kuminga averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Warriors and Hawks in 36 games last season. He’s still only 23 years old, which puts him right in line with the young core of Edwards, Ball and McDaniels, all of whom are 25. In many ways, Kuminga is betting on himself. He didn’t get the big payday he wanted this summer and has yet to show the consistency of a player who was drafted as high as him. But he’s had some real moments, including when he averaged 20.8 points in Golden State’s five-game loss to the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2025 Western Conference playoffs. Now he has a chance to prove himself on a talented team that hopes to play into the playoffs next spring. If he can deliver the punch on both ends of the floor that the Wolves need, the money he’s been seeking for a long time will likely come. In the end, the Wolves got a player they see fitting perfectly into their starting lineup for $6 million. It’s a low-risk, high-reward move that immediately improves the overall talent of the roster. The fact that they did it by offering half the money and one year less security than the Lakers only made it that much sweeter.
