Free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga will sign a two-year, $13MM contract with the Timberwolvesagent Aaron Turner tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The agreement includes a player option for the second season, Charania adds.
Kuminga was heavily pursued by the Lakerswho tried in vain over the past two months to work out a sign-and-trade deal with Atlanta, and Charania reports that he also received offers from the Bulls and Trail Blazers. Charania hears that L.A. was willing to give him a three-year deal with an annual salary of more than $12MM, but Kuminga opted for the shorter contract and a chance to test the market again next summer instead of waiting any longer to see if a sign-and-trade could be worked out (Twitter link).
Minnesota has been strongly recruiting Kuminga over the past month, according to Charania (Twitter link), offering its taxpayer mid-level exception along with a starting role at power forward alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels. Edwards played a significant role in the recruiting process, sources tell Charania, while team president Tim Connelly traveled to Miami for a four-hour meeting with Kuminga, and head coach Chris Finch helped to sell him on the team as well.
The Wolves have some financial work to do before adding Kuminga to their roster. His new contract can’t be finalized until they make another move to fit his $6.1MM salary under their second apron hard cap, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The team is currently $4MM away from that figure, and Marks notes that Saturday is the deadline to waive and stretch a player’s salary for the upcoming season.
Minnesota will have another open roster spot after Kuminga is signed, so there’s a need to clear out at least $4.1MM to add his new deal along with a $2.5MM contract for a 14th player, observes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
Smith also points out that the team’s only players who are currently trade-eligible are Edwards, Gobert, McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo, Joan Beringer and Terrence Shannon Jr. (Twitter link). In addition, Ball and Josh Greenwho were acquired from Charlotte in July, can be traded by themselves now or aggregated starting September 10. Green has a $15.7MM expiring contract, and the Wolves could easily create plenty of breathing room below the hard cap by stretching it over three years.
In a full story on the signing, Anthony Slater of ESPN states that league sources informed Charania that the Wolves will explore trade scenarios involving Green, but they plan to waive and stretch him before the deadline if they can’t find a taker.
Kuminga has been looking for a starting role and guaranteed playing time ever since the Warriors selected him with the seventh pick in the 2021 draft. After frequently butting heads with coach Steve Kerr during his four-and-half years with Golden State, Kuminga was traded to Atlanta in February, but he still remained in a reserve role. In 16 games with the Hawks, he averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 22.1 minutes per night.