Ty Lawson didn’t mince words after hearing Aaron Turner defend Jonathan Kuminga’s decision to take the Timberwolves’ deal.
The former Nuggets guard, now a nine-year NBA veteran, saw Turner’s appearance on “Run It Back” with Chandler Parsons and went straight at Kuminga’s agent on X. Lawson made it clear he thinks Kuminga should move on from Verus Management Team after Turner tried to explain why the forward chose Minnesota over richer offers elsewhere.
“Jonathan Kuminga needs to pack his agent up immediately… Send that “you’re fired” letter immediately… There’s no way he jumped on camera like this lol,” wrote the nine-year NBA veteran on X.
That reaction came after Kuminga, who recently agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million contract with the Timberwolves, passed on bigger money from other teams. He rejected a three-year, $75.2 million offer from the Warriors last summer and a $36 million offer from the Lakers this summer before landing in Minnesota.
Turner’s defense of the move centered on basketball fit and long-term earning power. He argued that putting the game first can eventually lead to more money down the line.
“To me, he had to get to a spot to make long-term money, in terms of where the basketball was set. Because with the basketball comes the money. If you understand basketball, you understand that where there’s a good basketball fit, the money follows,” Turner justified.
He added, “Money coming before basketball is not how you continue to make more and more money. So put yourself in the best basketball situation.
You put yourself in a longer deal, you have no control over that. You actually lose control; like, I don’t know if you’ve faced this, but when you’re in a long-term contract, you don’t get to decide where you get traded,” he added.
Lawson’s jab stands out because it goes further than what other NBA voices have said about Kuminga’s contract situation. Draymond Green and Gilbert Arenas have also raised concerns about the deal and what it says, but neither one openly called for Kuminga and Turner to split.
The move itself carries real risk. The Timberwolves reportedly won’t have much room to keep Kuminga next summer, which could leave them open to trading him if the money doesn’t work. That would make this a possible one-year stop in Minnesota, with Kuminga likely headed toward free agency and the control he was chasing.
So the pressure is obvious: one season, one chance to prove the fit, and one shot at setting up a bigger payday. Lawson’s view suggests Turner may be running out of runway too. If Kuminga doesn’t cash in next summer, the agent could be the one left paying for this gamble.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Still Face One Brutal Question After Their Splashy Offseason
The Timberwolves spent the offseason making noise, landing LaMelo Ball in a trade and signing Jonathan Kuminga in a clear push to raise the ceiling of a team that already has a strong young core. On paper, those moves give Minnesota more shot creation, more athleticism and a more dynamic path toward contention, which is exactly the kind of swing a franchise takes when it believes the window is opening.
Still, the bigger picture around the West has not gotten much easier for Minnesota. Even with the new arrivals, the Timberwolves are viewed as a step behind the Spurs and Thunder when it comes to the blend of talent, depth and long-term flexibility, and that gap matters because the Wolves do not have the same kind of extra ammo to keep upgrading. The question now is whether this offseason was the start of a true climb or close to the last major push they can make for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves May Already Face One Big Jonathan Kuminga Problem
Jonathan Kumingas move to Minnesota comes with the kind of short-term flexibility that can look tidy on paper but still leave a front office thinking ahead. The Timberwolves got him on a two-year contract, and the structure gives both sides something to weigh as his next decision point approaches, especially after a career that has already included some notable contract turns.
The wrinkle is the player option sitting in the second year, a piece that could keep Kuminga in place for about $6.4 million or send him back into the market at a time when his camp may see a bigger payday elsewhere. His agent has already signaled that he could be positioned to test that market, with other teams expected to have interest if he gets there. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Final Roster Spot Suddenly Carries A Familiar Possibility
The Timberwolves still have one open roster spot, and the cap math leaves them room to keep it that way. Sitting $4.5 million below the second tax apron, Minnesota can carry as many as 15 players, which means the final decision does not have to come with immediate financial pressure attached. That gives the front office some flexibility as the roster takes shape, and it has also kept alive the idea that the last spot could be used on a veteran who brings stability more than upside.
Among the names drawing conversation is a familiar one, with the possibility of a reunion adding a layer of intrigue to an otherwise straightforward roster question. For Minnesota, the appeal is easy to see: a former Timberwolves big man with years of NBA experience, three All-Star nods on his rsum and a reputation as a steady locker-room presence could give the bench another voice and another option in the frontcourt. The only real question now is whether the team wants to use that last opening on a proven veteran fit or keep it available for something else later. [Read more 🡒]