Jonathan Kuminga Chooses His New Team With Surprising Free Agent Deal

If there were two things we thought we knew about Jonathan Kuminga's free agency, it was that he was refusing to take a deal as low as $10 million or less for more than one season, and also that the Los Angeles Lakers were his first choice.

Turns out that both of those "certainties" weren't so certain. 

Kuminga has accepted a two-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves at a $6.5 million annual salary. The former Golden State Warriors lottery pick had entered the off-season looking for a $20 million+ AAV on a multi year deal. 

BREAKING: 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. pic.twitter.com/KdtD6YEy9j

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2026

Kuminga gets a player option for the second year, meaning if he feels there's something better out there for him next summer, he will only have to spend one year at the $6.5 million mark.

Why Kuminga chose the Minnesota Timberwolves' offer

In addition to the player option, one of the other selling points for the player was that the Wolves offered him a starting role in an elite lineup, joining Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert in the starting five.

But the other major selling point in choosing Minnesota over LA, was that the Lakers were insisting on a three-year deal. According to Shams Charania, Kuminga bypassed a similar starting role and $12M-plus annually over three years in L.A., for a shorter-term deal and "an ability to have more control of his future."

Charania added that the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers also offered similar packages to the one the Lakers had submitted.

The Atlanta Hawks declined a $24.3 million club option on Kuminga for the 2026-27 campaign, sending the player into unrestricted free agency.

He was coming off the bench in Atlanta after being traded there by the Golden State Warriors at the deadline. His move to Minnesota will offer him a chance to have a greater impact and perhaps increase his value on the market if he chooses to return there next summer.