If you have concerns about Jonathan Kuminga's fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves, I can understand that. Kuminga's ability to embrace a true complementary role is at the center of these concerns. However, for the upside that Kuminga offers, it's hard to complain about a two-year, $12.4 million deal if you ask me.
Furthermore, the Timberwolves didn't have many better options on the open market to fill their glaring power forward hole, making Kuminga a worthy gamble for Minnesota. Sasha Vezenkov is the latest player whom the Timberwolves had reported interest in before they signed Kuminga.
"League sources tell The Stein Line that Minnesota indeed explored the feasibility of trying to convince Vezenkov to give the NBA one more shot before the Timberwolves' recent signing of Jonathan Kuminga," Marc Stein wrote. "Sources say no formal offer from the Wolves was made, but that's presumably because the 31-year-old indicated that he was not open to a return."
In case you need a refresher, Vezenkov is a Bulgarian forward who has enjoyed a stellar career in Greece. Vezenkov played one year in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings in the 2023-24 season. The Kings (and other interested teams) were hopeful that Vezenkov's blend of size, shooting, and feel could translate to NBA success.
Alas, he averaged just 12.2 minutes, with his subpar athleticism being central to his struggles, and he opted to return overseas. Signing Vezenkov and hoping he could turn into a legit rotation player would've been a dangerous proposition.
The Timberwolves would've entered the season with a glaring weakness if they hadn't signed Kuminga
Now, it sounds like Vezenkov wasn't open to an NBA return. As such, he wouldn't have been the Timberwolves' true pivot if they struck out on Kuminga. Regardless, Minnesota's interest in Vezenkov highlights the lack of PF options and the unconventional options they were considering if they couldn't sign Kuminga.
Last week, it was reported by Marc Spears that the Wolves were interested in Ben Simmons on a training camp deal. This is further evidence that the Timberwolves didn't have many options outside of Kuminga.
Kelly Olynyk, Kevin Love, Jeff Green, and Anthony Gill are four available free agent power forwards who were in the NBA last season. The chances of any of these four players, or another option in free agency, cracking the Wolves' rotation, let alone making a sizable impact, were slim to none. Thus, the Wolves were looking at outside-the-box PF options, like Vezenkov.
They already signed one unconventional PF option in Trey Lyles, who played abroad last season. Maybe the Timberwolves could've found a diamond in the rough. More likely than not, though, they would have had to patch together the power forward position.
Whether it would've been Jaden McDaniels, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, Ayo Dosunmu, or Anthony Edwards, the Wolves would have had a player playing out of position to guard opposing fours. This would have also been problematic from a rebounding standpoint. Not having a true power forward and simply one rotation forward would've been problematic for a Timberwolves team with title aspirations.
And on the trade front, pulling off a move while being devoid of draft capital would've been tricky.
Think about it: What scenario would be most ideal for the Timberwolves banking on a talented young player adapting to a complementary role, praying for a trade, or signing someone who was out of the league last season? I'll go with the first option any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
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