Jonathan Kuminga’s next move is already setting up the next round of his free-agency story, and Sacramento is once again in the mix.
Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, said the 23-year-old forward chose flexibility over chasing the biggest immediate payday, a decision that helped steer him toward a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves that includes a player option for the second season.
Turner laid out the thinking clearly in an interview with former NBA wing Chandler Parsons: “The money coming before basketball is not really how you’re going to continue to make more and more money,” Turner said. “So put yourself in the best basketball situation. If you take a longer deal, you have no control over that.”
That mindset fits the path Kuminga has taken for a while now. Last summer, Golden State put a three-year, $75 million contract on the table, but Kuminga instead signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal with a 2026-27 player option, keeping himself positioned for more control down the line. That move eventually opened the door to unrestricted free agency after Atlanta declined his $24.3 million option following the trade from Golden State.
Now Turner believes the real payoff could come in 2027, when Kuminga hits his age-25 season.
“On paper next year for Jonathan Kuminga is a way better free agency year for him,” Turner said. “There’s a lot of teams with money.”
Sacramento was one of the teams Turner pointed to.
“If you have paid attention to JK’s recruiting saga over the last few years, those teams that have been trying to sign-and-trade for him, like Sacramento, Chicago, these teams have a lot of money next year,” Turner said.
That keeps the Kings firmly on the radar after being connected to Kuminga across the last two offseasons. Turner’s remarks suggest Sacramento remains part of the larger market Kuminga could explore next summer, especially with the Kings expected to shed at least $70 million in cap space with Zach LaVine and De’Andre Hunter currently on expiring contracts.
Kuminga’s on-court numbers last season were modest by his standards, but the resume is still there: 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 36 games, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 33 percent from three in 2025-26.
For Turner, the appeal is simple. Kuminga gets another chance to prove himself in a new setting, and he still controls where the story goes next.
“I love the idea he’s betting on himself,” Turner said. “I love the idea with the player option where he can go into another free agency.”
That’s what makes Sacramento worth watching again. Another offseason, another opening, and maybe - just maybe - Part III of the Kuminga-Kings saga.
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