Once the Atlanta Hawks declined Jonathan Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option, he probably didn’t think he would toil in free agency until late August. Sure, that has happened to restricted free agents in recent years, but Kuminga was unrestricted.
The offer he was hoping for never came, and he finally signed a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He chose them over teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, which reportedly offered more, but those deals still paled in comparison to the three-year $75 million extension he had previously rejected with the Golden State Warriors.
That could be a humbling experience for some individuals. Kuminga seems to understand what needs to be done to secure a larger payday on his next contract.
Kuminga must buy into a supporting role with the Timberwolves
Still just 23 years old—he turns 24 on October 6—Kuminga has always been a player who believes in himself and isn’t short on confidence. Now five years into his career, though, it’s evident that the rest of the NBA doesn’t think quite as highly of him.
On the Timberwolves, Kuminga won’t be the first option most nights, nor will he be the second. That will occur when you are on the same team as both Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. He may often find himself behind Jaden McDaniels in the pecking order as well.
Minnesota still thinks highly enough of Kuminga to show plenty of interest in making him their starting power forward. If things go well, he will be able to decline his player option for 2027–28 and earn a more lucrative contract from the Timberwolves or another team next offseason.
Kuminga is going to need to do more than just score. It’s already known that he is capable of doing that, and the Timberwolves are aware of that after Kuminga averaged 24.3 points in Games 2-5 of the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals with Golden State against Minnesota.
Kuminga needs to hit the glass and help out Rudy Gobert in that area because the team lost its secondary rebounders in Julius Randle and Naz Reid. He needs to work hard defensively, because he’s capable of being an above-average player on that end.
Kuminga also needs to not display poor body language during games when he isn’t getting a lot of offensive touches, because that’s a narrative that surrounds him.
It’s fine having somewhat of an inflated self-worth about yourself.
It’s up to Kuminga to allow the Timberwolves and the other teams to value him in a similar manner. In turn, he would find larger offers next year in free agency.
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