The Minnesota Timberwolves need a power forward, and Kuminga is the best available at the moment.
While he originally expected to earn roughly $20 million per season when he hit free agency this summer, no team has been willing to meet this demand. Unless a giant bag falls out of the sky, Kuminga can come to Minnesota, rehab his value, and hit the open market again next offseason.
And while there are many arguments for both sides to make a deal, there’s also the issue that there’s only one basketball to go around.
“The adjustments that I think would have to be made is [that] I would imagine that he would come here expecting a number of shots, expecting a level of involvement in the offense to get him the statistics that he's going to need to repair that value, and to go out into the open market next summer, and get a bigger deal,” The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski saidon The John Krawczynski Show.
“So how that would all work with, like, the shots that [Anthony Edwards] needs, and LaMelo [Ball] needs, and Jaden McDaniels needs, and the involvement that Rudy [Gobert] needs. That would be, I think, a conversation and maybe a bigger, I think, obstacle or hurdle to get over than just whether he starts or not, but it is tantalizing to think about because he is a big, strong dude at a position where they need another big, strong dude.”
Krawczynski noted that the Wolves' offer (which, pending another roster move, can only be the veteran's minimum) could be one reason why Kuminga hasn’t signed. However, getting a decent number of shots is another worthy obstacle and one thing both sides will have to figure out if they want to make this partnership happen.
The Timberwolves may not have enough shots to go around for Jonathan Kuminga
The Wolves needed to free things up on the offensive end this season, and the biggest change came when they traded Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets. Randle became maligned toward the end of his tenure in Minnesota, but his departure created plenty of opportunity after attempting 15.3 shots per game last season.
Only Edwards had more shots per game (20.2) last season, and it is expected that the shots that Randle leaves behind could be spread across several players.
McDaniels is the most notable beneficiary, as fans have been begging for him to have an increased offensive role and should see an uptick from the 11.1 shots per game last season.
Gobert also should see more touches than the 6.5 shots per game he saw last year and could be in for even more with the addition of Ball, who could be a perfect pick-and-roll partner.
But Ball needs his own shots and attempted 17.3 per game last season. If Kuminga really wants to rehab his value, he’s going to need a slice of the action, and that’s where things become complicated.
Jonathan Kuminga’s rehab tour may not be the best fit in Minnesota
At 23, Kuminga has plenty of athleticism and upside to make him enticing. But he’s never had a giant role in an offense, with his career-high of 12.1 shots per game coming during the 2024-25 season with the Golden State Warriors.
Even in his largest chunks of action, Kuminga was largely a bench player first for the Warriors and then with the Atlanta Hawks after being traded midseason. During that 24-25 season, he even fell out of the rotation at points in part due to his poor decision-making.
An uptick in that usage could help him improve on his career shooting averages of 33.2 percent on 3-pointers and 50.2 percent overall. But the offers have not matched his demands, and the Timberwolves are sitting with an open door to help the team.
The Wolves have a starting spot waiting for Kuminga in Minnesota. His 6-foot-7, 225-pound frame would also give them size to battle the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs and allow them to keep McDaniels at the small forward position instead of playing him at power forward during stretches.
But if Kuminga can’t get his shots, he won’t be able to build on his numbers, which defeats the purpose of coming to Minnesota for a rehab tour.
Mix in his financial demands, and it could be an issue that may not have a remedy and could keep the Timberwolves looking for their solution at power forward.
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