After four seasons with the Golden State Warriors and being sent to the Atlanta Hawks during the recent trade deadline, Jonathan Kuminga takes a big step to land in Minnesota.
When everyone thought he would sign in Los Angeles, it turned out differently as Kuminga went the other way.
The NBA champion opened up about his decision to choose the Timberwolves over the Lakers, citing the system, fit, role, and other factors in the negotiations.
“Not to come off disrespectful, but I didn’t feel like Los Angeles was the right environment for me. There’s a level of expectation and outside noise surrounding the Lakers that can become distracting, and I wanted a situation where I could stay focused on basketball and my development. I also felt Minnesota offered a better defensive fit and a clearer role for me. Ultimately, it was the better situation,” Kuminga said, per The Athletic.
The 23-year-old swingman heavily considered his role for his new team after months of discussions about his job with the Warriors system back then.
Although Jake Fischer reported that Kuminga might be preferring to sign with the Lakers due to minimal negotiations for Minnesota, it became not about the contract but rather the role.
“Kuminga, I think, has seemed to prefer going to the Lakers. They’ve had the most opportunity to negotiate there. Minnesota is just limited to signing Kuminga to the taxpayer mid-level. He would walk into a starting job, I think, in both situations where Minnesota is thin at the forward spot, the Lakers have been selling him on this vision of having him start next to Luka. They’re going to have the spending power, in theory, to reward him next year if all goes according to plan. That’s going to come to some type of conclusion here soon,” Fischer said.
Kuminga averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists during the 2025-26 NBA regular season split between Golden State and the Hawks.
