The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to terms with power forward Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year, $12.4 million contract on Wednesday.
There were multiple reports, including from the Associated Press, that Kuminga agreed to terms with Minnesota. ESPN reported that Kuminga's contract includes a player option for the second season, which would give the seventh overall pick from the 2021 draft an opportunity to hit the free agent market in a year.
Kuminga will fill an obvious need in the frontcourt for the Timberwolves, who traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid as part of their offseason acquisition of point guard LaMelo Ball.
"I think is a perfect fit for this team," says WCCO sports host Henry Lake. "He's a younger guy, did not play college basketball, did one of the whole, you go from the high school basketball ranks to the NBA."
Kuminga, who will turn 24 on Oct. 6, averaged a career-best 16.1 points during the 2023-24 season for the Golden State Warriors, who drafted the Congo native but never found the right fit for him before ultimately trading him to the Atlanta Hawks in February. Kuminga fell out of favor with Warriors coach Steve Kerr and out of the rotation last season, making his departure an inevitability. He played in only seven of his last 38 games with the Warriors.
"I don't think that the Golden State Warriors are the greatest team that are able to utilize really, really, really young guys," Lake explained Thursday on the WCCO Morning News. "I know that they're a great team with veterans, but with younger guys, they just don't develop as well. But he's got a lot of potential."
He'll have a fresh start with the hungry Timberwolves, who'll have the challenge of finding enough shots for Kuminga and fellow forward Jaden McDaniels in a lineup that will revolve around Ball and superstar Anthony Edwards.
"He just wasn't able to have the leverage to make a lot of money and so the Wolves end up landing him on a 2-year, $13 million dollar deal, which is dirt cheap, when the guy was making like $26 million a year ago," added Lake. "So, I think this is awesome. This is a win, a major win for the Minnesota Timberwolves because you have a legitimate power forward in your lineup."
In 278 NBA games, Kuminga has averaged 12.5 points and 22.1 minutes. He's a 50.2% shooter from the floor.
