Jonathan Kuminga’s short stay with the Hawks is officially over, and Minnesota is the team taking him in.
On Friday morning, more than a week after the two-year deal had already been reported by major basketball outlets, the Timberwolves finalized the signing. That closes the book on a whirlwind stretch that lasted almost the entire offseason and sends Kuminga back out west with a chance to chase a championship on one of the league’s most intriguing teams.
For Atlanta, the ending had been coming into focus for a while. Once the Hawks declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option for the 2026-27 season, he was pushed into unrestricted free agency and free to hear pitches from around the league. From there, the front office kept moving as if his return was unlikely.
That became even clearer when Atlanta brought in Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder, adding two forwards who are expected to come off the bench behind the Hawks’ electric starting five. Bringing Kuminga back would have given Atlanta what might have been the best bench in the NBA, but it also would have created a real crowd at forward. With Asa Newell, Mo Gueye and Zuby Ejiofor also needing minutes, the fit simply got tighter.
Even with the ending, Kuminga’s time in Atlanta deserves credit. He gave the Hawks a valuable lift off the bench late last season, and his second-unit punch helped them win two games against the eventual-champion New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
The trade that brought him to Atlanta also mattered. The Hawks used that deal to get off Kristaps Porzingis’ expiring contract, and in return they landed Kuminga plus Buddy Hield, who is still on the revamped roster. Atlanta took a swing, got production out of the move, and kept the roster moving forward.
From the Hawks’ perspective, that kind of gamble was worth it. Onsi Saleh has shown no hesitation in the trade market, and this move helped Atlanta move from one phase to the next without much drag. Kuminga’s run in a Hawks uniform was brief, but it wasn’t meaningless.
And now it’s Minnesota’s turn to benefit.
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