In the end, Jonathan Kuminga was willing to take less money per year to get back on the market sooner rather than take a longer contract with more guaranteed money.
After intense recruiting from Anthony Edwards and others, Kuminga has agreed to join the Timberwolves on a two-year, $13 million contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. Kuminga stepped into the taxpayer mid-level exception the Timberwolves still had available.
This is a recruiting coup for the Timberwolves, who put on a full-court press in the last month, Charania reported. That included Edwards and other players, as well as team president Tim Connelly, who reportedly had a four-hour meeting with him. Kuminga is expected to step into the starting lineup at the three next to LaMelo Ball, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert.
The Lakers had been pursuing Kuminga to become a starter next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and they were trying to work out a sign-and-trade with Atlanta, but that would have required Kuminga to sign at least a three-year contract instead of the two in Minnesota. Plus, the Lakers and Hawks struggled to come close to a trade that worked for both sides for a variety of reasons (such as the Hawks wanting picks but not taking on players).
The Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers also pursued Kuminga, reports Charania.
Kuminga did not find as robust a market for his services as he expected this summer. Atlanta chose not to pick up his $24.3 million team option, and Kuminga initially hoped for a deal in the ballpark, or at least north of $15 million. Eventually, it became about the shorter contract and the opportunity to play on a team with big expectations and to prove his value in that setting that lured him to Minnesota.
Kuminga started last season with Golden State, where he had been in and out of Steve Kerr’s doghouse for years, then was traded to Atlanta at the deadline. While he had a couple of big games with the Hawks, he averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a game for them, mostly coming off the bench, and he shot 34.6% from beyond the arc.
Minnesota’s starting five is stacked with talent — and three guys who work better with the ball in their hands rather than working off it. Kerr’s issues with Kuminga largely came down to fitting into the Warriors’ ball-movement, egalitarian system. Minnesota’s coach Chris Finch is going to have work to do to find a balance that keeps everyone happy — which could mean Kuminga leading the second unit at points — but gives the team the best chance to win. It may take some time at the start of the season to find that rhythm.
With Kuminga in the starting five, this is an offensively stacked Minnesota roster.
