The Timberwolves have already seen how a gifted forward can help them win games and still leave behind a trail of headaches.
That’s the cautionary backdrop for Jonathan Kuminga as he arrives in Minnesota after the team moved on from Julius Randle this summer. The Wolves signed Kuminga in free agency, and the fit comes with a clear warning label: don’t let his game drift into the same trouble spots that made Randle so frustrating at times.
Randle and Kuminga aren’t built the same way. Randle worked more as a post-oriented player who could stretch the floor a little and handle some playmaking duties.
Kuminga brings a different look entirely, with more of a slashing style, a willingness to attack downhill, and an instinct to get out in transition. But the overlap that matters isn’t about style.
It’s about control.
Randle’s NBA career has long carried the same critique - that he can try to do too much. Kuminga has shown flashes of that tendency as well.
He’s wanted the ball more than he’s gotten it, and that’s where the Wolves have to stay sharp. If he starts forcing the issue, piling up turnovers, and making avoidable mental mistakes, Minnesota could end up with a familiar problem in a new package.
Kuminga’s path to this point has already been messy. He’s still very young, but he’s now on his third NBA team.
His stint with the Golden State Warriors ended in what was described as a long, very public divorce. After being traded to the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline this past season, he lasted only half a season there before Atlanta declined his team option this summer and sent him into unrestricted free agency.
That’s why the Wolves can’t afford to misread what they’re getting.
Randle’s time in Minnesota had value. He helped them win some important games, and he played well enough that he mattered.
But there was a reason the team ultimately decided he was expendable and sent him to the Brooklyn Nets this summer. Even at his best, there were questions about possessions he held onto too long, mistakes that felt unnecessary, and turnovers that seemed to be waiting around the corner.
Minnesota is hoping Kuminga won’t bring those same habits with him.
For the Wolves, the challenge is simple: they need him to embrace being a role player and stay out of the trap that made Randle so difficult to fully trust. If he can do that, he gives them a different kind of weapon. If not, they risk repeating the same story.
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Lakers Still Have One Roster Problem They Need To Solve Fast
Jonathan Kuminga is headed to Minnesota on a two-year deal, and the Timberwolves are already planning to use him as part of their starting group. For a team trying to keep building around length, athleticism and defensive versatility, adding a wing with Kumingas profile fits the broader direction and gives Minnesota another piece to slot into the mix before camp fully settles in.
The Lakers, meanwhile, are left sorting through the fallout after missing out on that move and still have a roster issue they need to clean up quickly. They are working the trade market with Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt as they try to strengthen their wing and forward spots before the season starts, a reminder that the margins around the roster are still very much in play. [Read more 🡒]
Jaden McDaniels Could Be The Wolves Answer To A Real Roster Concern
The Timberwolves have spent much of the offseason looking at a familiar roster question: what happens behind Rudy Gobert when the lineup needs a true backup center? Chris Finch has already acknowledged the team may need to get creative, and that conversation has included the possibility of leaning on Jaden McDaniels in a small-ball role while also mixing in more zone defense to cover some of the frontcourt gaps.
McDaniels has always stood out as one of Minnesotas most versatile defenders, and last seasons rim-protection numbers only strengthen the case for him as a situational answer when the Wolves want to change the shape of the floor. It is not a permanent fix and it would not solve every depth concern, but it gives Finch another lever to pull if the backup big picture gets thin at the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Young Depth Faces A Real Fight For Finchs Rotation
The Timberwolves enter the season with a rotation that already looks crowded if everyone stays healthy, and that is before the younger depth pieces get a real chance to push their way into the picture. With starters LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga and Rudy Gobert, plus reserves Ayo Dosunmu and Joan Beringer, there are not many obvious openings for the rest of the bench to claim.
Still, the early competition is where this gets interesting, because a few young names are trying to turn projected depth into something more meaningful. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Bones Hyland appear to have the clearest path to minutes at the start of the year, while Jaylen Clark and Trey Lyles sit in the gray area where a strong camp could move them into the regular mix or leave them fighting for scraps. [Read more 🡒]