Jonathan Kuminga signs with Timberwolves over Lakers, Bulls

Free agency dragged on for Jonathan Kuminga all summer, and for a while it looked like a two-team race between the Lakers and Timberwolves. By Tuesday afternoon, reports had him narrowing his list to those two, per Jake Fischer's reporting.

NBACentral

@TheDunkCentral

Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly down to the Lakers or Timberwolves, per @JakeLFischer The Decision 🍿 (h/t @RealGM )

Then it flipped fast. Fischer himself flagged that the Bulls were quietly in the mix too, alongside the Lakers and Wolves, even after suggesting Chicago wasn't a real factor in his free agency the day before.

Jake Fischer

@JakeLFischer

But, yeah, NOLA has been the Bennedict Mathurin team since before February’s trade deadline. Said yesterday on @BleacherReport Chicago wasn’t factoring into his free agency. But I believe the Bulls are involved in Jonathan Kuminga’s process to a real degree, in addition to Lakers, Wolves.

By Wednesday night, Shams Charania made it official: Kuminga is signing a two-year, $13 million deal with Minnesota that includes a player option, with agent Aaron Turner confirming the terms to ESPN. He slots straight into the starting five alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert.

Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania

BREAKING: Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus a player option, agent Aaron Turner tells ESPN. Kuminga will be a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on the West contender.

The bigger story is what he turned down to get there. Charania reported Kuminga passed on offers from the Lakers, Bulls and Trail Blazers, including a similar starting role and $12 million-plus annually over 3 years in L.A., for a shorter deal in Minnesota that gives him more control over his next contract. That's a real bet on himself after a rocky stretch — Golden State traded him to Atlanta in February in the deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors, and the Hawks turned around and declined his $24.3 million team option in June, pushing him into open free agency.

Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania

Kuminga chose the Timberwolves over offers from the Lakers, Bulls and Trail Blazers -- bypassing a similar starting role and $12M-plus annually over three years in L.A. to land in Minnesota for a shorter-term deal and an ability to have more control of his future, sources said.

Bobby Marks flagged the logistical wrinkle that comes with it: Minnesota now has to make a corresponding roster move to get the $6.1 million Kuminga cap hit under the second apron, with the deadline to stretch a player landing Saturday. It's a real cap crunch, not just a paperwork footnote, for a team that's already built out its rotation.

Bobby Marks

@BobbyMarks42

Minnesota will need to make a roster move to fit the Kuminga $6.1M salary below the second apron. The deadline to stretch a player is Saturday.

None of that dampened the reaction. Legion Hoops framed it as the Wolves passing the Lakers for the third-best odds to win the West, and NBACentral cited Polymarket numbers putting Minnesota's championship odds at 9% after the move. Whether that holds once the roster crunch gets sorted, a starting five of Ball, Edwards, Kuminga, McDaniels and Gobert is the kind of lineup that makes the rest of the conference pay attention.

NBACentral

@TheDunkCentral

The Timberwolves might win the west now 👀 Their odds have shot up to 9% after signing Jonathan Kuminga, per @Polymarket LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards , Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga and Rudy Gobert = Scary

Not everyone's convinced it's a win for Kuminga personally. Gilbert Arenas took a shot at the value of the deal on his podcast, needling Kuminga over turning a talented young career into short-term, below-market money. It's the kind of hot take that'll follow Kuminga into the season if the fit doesn't click fast — but for now, Minnesota just got meaningfully scarier, and everyone else in the West has to adjust.