Draymond Green didn’t hide how he feels about Jonathan Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, after Turner’s recent public comments started making the rounds.
The Kuminga situation was one of the biggest NBA offseason storylines outside of where LeBron James would end up. His free agency bounced around for weeks, with different teams popping up as the favorite before he settled on Minnesota. Kuminga had been pursued heavily by the Los Angeles Lakers from the start, but he ultimately signed with the Timberwolves.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the deal this way: “Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus a player option, agent Aaron Turner tells ESPN. Kuminga will be a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on the West contender,”
Turner has since drawn attention for the way he’s handled interviews and podcast appearances, especially after people accused him of leaving money on the table for Kuminga. Turner pushed back on that idea with this response:
“This is what's funny to me. Everybody's like, 'Aaron f**ed up.'
I'm like, hold on. Did I fumble something?"
Turner said." Because fumbling would mean like next year, if JK is making $10 million a year, you could say I fumbled by not taking [three years for $75 million].
You can't say I fumbled because I didn't fumble anything yet."
Green, who was Kuminga’s teammate with the Golden State Warriors, fired back and made clear he thought Turner had crossed a line.
“This is a tough one for me because I love JK. And I’ve met Aaron, a great guy.
But this is this is no good... Number one, absolutely unnecessary to talk about this man’s pockets on a podcast, […] talking about a guy’s money and how much they lost and what they gained and like talking about somebody’s 11 and a half million dollars, ‘that’s it’… ‘THAT’S IT’?!
This ain’t Monopoly money,” Green said.
Green wasn’t the only one bothered by Turner’s recent run of public comments, either. His remarks have raised eyebrows around the league, and Green made it clear he took issue with the agent’s approach.
At the center of it all is a young forward whose representation is now under scrutiny, with Green and others around the NBA seeming to believe Kuminga needs someone who will protect his name and reputation without dragging too much of his business into the spotlight.
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Kumingas willingness to embrace a complementary role could make that transition easier, but the bigger challenge may be finding the right rhythm for Ball in a system that will need both creativity and structure. Finch now has to decide how to keep the offense flowing, manage the workload of his new point guard and still leave enough room for Anthony Edwards to stay at the center of the teams identity. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Just Made A Cap Bet On One Young Roster Holdover
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Williams is the younger holdover Minnesota chose to protect as it sorted through the back end of the roster, even if the choice came with dead money spread across the next three years. The appeal is straightforward enough for a team that values flexibility on defense: Williams gives the Wolves a more useful long-term piece than Konchar, and the front office made its bet accordingly while accepting a short-term hit to preserve that option. [Read more 🡒]