Atlanta Hawks free agent Jonathan Kuminga is headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves with no sign-and-trade involved.
The waiting game is over in the Jonathan Kuminga saga.
As first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, the Atlanta Hawks free agent is signing a two-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. It is said to be worth $12.4 million. The deal reportedly carries a player option for the second season.
The value of the deal is certainly lower than what Kuminga was said to be looking for, but the short-term nature of the contract gives him some flexibility. He could cash in on a bigger deal in the not-so-distant future if he plays well.
According to Charania, Kuminga will start for Minnesota. The NBA insider added that Kuminga passed on offers from the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers to land in Minnesota.
Charania and Lakers insider Dan Woike both shared that L.A. was interested in giving Kuminga significantly more AAV (average annual value) on a longer-term deal, but it appears that the forward preferred a deal that gives him a chance to hit free agency again sooner. Kuminga reportedly passed on a similar starting role with the Lakers.
Fellow NBA insider Michael Scotto shared that Kuminga chose the Wolves because he "felt it was the best basketball fit and gives him a chance to start at power forward for a contender." Scotto added that stars Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball were among those who helped recruit Kuminga to Minnesota.
For the Hawks, the Kuminga news ends an uncertain period regarding his future. A return to Atlanta seemed less and less likely as the offseason progressed, but the team had to stay ready to participate in a potential sign-and-trade to get him to his next stop.
Ultimately, the 23-year-old ends up not needing a sign-and-trade to land his new deal. That does allow the Hawks to move on from the situation, but it also means they won't have anything to show for losing him. There were lots of hypothetical ideas being thrown around that involved draft capital heading to Atlanta as part of Kuminga's departure.
Instead, his tenure comes to an end the old-fashioned way. The Hawks didn't get that much time with him, but he did play a legitimate role at the end of last season and into the playoffs. In 16 games in the regular season after coming over via trade, he averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game across 22.1 minutes of action. He then averaged 13.7 points per game in the playoffs.
Although it didn't work out for him to be a long-term part of Atlanta's future, he will get a chance to tap into some more of his potential with Minnesota.
