After months of chatter, the Los Angeles Lakers came up empty in the Jonathan Kuminga chase. The young forward is headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves instead, and his agent says the key factor was something that hadn’t been the main storyline for most of the process: defense.
Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that Minnesota’s emphasis on that end of the floor helped swing the decision. Turner pointed to the “defensive versatility” of the Timberwolves as the reason his client chose them over the Lakers.
That’s a notable turn in a saga that had mostly centered on money and flexibility. The whole process dragged on after the Hawks declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option for next season, and for much of that stretch, the expectation was that the athletic forward wanted to maximize his earnings.
The Lakers were widely viewed as the favorite for most of the free agency run, with talk of a sign-and-trade involving the Atlanta Hawks hanging around the conversation. But Kuminga appears to have changed course late, opting to team up with Anthony Edwards instead of Luka Doncic.
The financial picture helps explain why this ended up as a short-term bet. In Minnesota, Kuminga can get out of his contract after the upcoming season because of a player option for the 2027-28 NBA season. If he had gone to the Lakers, the path would have required a sign-and-trade with the Hawks and a three-year deal that would have locked him in at $12 million a year.
So for now, Kuminga is taking the prove-it route, hoping a strong season can set him up for a bigger deal with Minnesota or another team next summer as an unrestricted free agent. It’s a gamble, and one that hasn’t paid off yet for the former first-round pick.
With Kuminga off the board, the Lakers still have work to do if they want to keep upgrading the roster. One name that has surfaced is Bruce Brown. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Lakers are in the mix for Brown, who would bring championship experience and could be available on a veteran minimum contract as a bench addition in the backcourt.
Whether that moves forward remains to be seen, but it’s another situation worth watching as the Lakers try to piece together the final stages of their offseason.
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Lakers Lost Out On Jonathan Kuminga For A Reason Fans Will Notice
Jonathan Kumingas free-agency saga finally settled this week, with the former Warriors forward agreeing to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves after weeks of back-and-forth that also drew in the Lakers and Chicago. For Los Angeles, the miss is a familiar kind of reminder that these decisions are rarely just about name recognition or cap space. Some players are looking first at fit, role and whether the organization feels aligned with what they want next.
Aaron Turner, Kumingas agent, said his client put the playing situation and organizational alignment ahead of contract length and money, which helps explain why the process unfolded the way it did. It also sheds light on why the Lakers were never quite enough on their own, even with their usual pull in these conversations. The larger surprise may be what happened before all of this, with Golden State never making a real push to keep Kuminga before moving on from him. [Read more 🡒]
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Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter both pointed to that mix as the reason Houston can credibly talk about a title run, and the Western Conference is going to force the issue quickly. The bigger question is no longer whether the Rockets have talent, but whether the pieces fit well enough to turn that talent into a team that can survive the grind of a playoff spring. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Missed On Jonathan Kuminga For A Reason Fans Will Debate
Jonathan Kumingas next stop came together with a little less drama than many around the league expected, even with the Lakers looming as a possible landing spot. Instead, the forward agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Timberwolves, a contract that includes a player option, according to his agent Aaron Turner. For a player whose market had been watched closely, the choice says plenty about how he is trying to map out his career at this stage.
Minnesota clearly sold him on opportunity, and Kuminga reportedly believed it was the best basketball situation for him. The Timberwolves are planning to start him alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, which gives him a chance to fit into a lineup with real talent around him right away. For teams like the Lakers, it is another reminder that name value does not always win out when a player is weighing role, fit and the path he sees in front of him. [Read more 🡒]