Jonathan Kuminga’s free-agency standoff still has a few moving parts, but the list of believable landing spots may be getting shorter by the day. After a summer of noise, the 23-year-old forward remains unsigned, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have started to emerge as a name worth watching.
For much of the offseason, Kuminga had been tied most closely to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But Cleveland’s trade for Denver’s Peyton Watson appears to have taken them out of the picture, leaving the Lakers and, more recently, Minnesota as the teams drawing the most attention.
That matters because Kuminga’s camp is believed to be looking for more than $20 million per year, and that kind of deal is tough to land outright. For competitive teams, a sign-and-trade is the real path, and any such contract would need to run at least three seasons. That makes the whole process complicated, especially for a player still viewed as raw and not exactly a safe long-term bet.
Minnesota, though, has shown a willingness to swing big this summer. The Timberwolves already made a notable move by acquiring All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets, and adding a forward who can fit into a faster system would line up with the direction they seem to be taking. Their recent moves suggest they want to play quickly, and Kuminga’s profile fits that kind of plan.
The catch is simple: the Timberwolves do not have the cap space to sign him at his expected price on their own. A sign-and-trade would be necessary, and Atlanta would likely prefer not to take back additional money or players since the team is already at 17. That’s where a third team could enter the picture to absorb salary and make the math work.
There is already a blueprint for that kind of collaboration. Five teams were involved in the Peyton Watson deal that sent him to Cleveland, with Denver avoiding Max Strus’ salary by routing him to the Clippers. That kind of multi-team setup shows how far clubs are willing to go to finish a deal, even this late in the summer.
One possible wrinkle could involve Donte DiVincenzo, the guard expected to miss most of the 2026-27 season after a devastating injury in his last outing. His situation could help get a broader deal moving if Minnesota decides Kuminga is the player worth chasing.
At this point, a destination outside of Los Angeles or Minnesota would be a surprise.
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