Draymond Green is worried that Kuminga's small price tag makes him disposable.
The Minnesota Timberwolves took a big step in the right direction to addressing their thin depth in the front court that was created by trading away Naz Reid and Julius Randle to create salary space for LaMelo Ball by signing Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year contract, but as much as Kuminga fits a crucial need, his place as a starter isn't secure.
A big reason as to why Kuminga's place as a starter isn't fully secure is largely due to his actual salary. Kuminga is making $12.4 million over the next two years, which is way lower than what he was expected to sign for, and with his salary being that low, it makes him somewhat disposable if things aren't going the Timberwolves' way at some point in the season.
That situation is something that Kuminga's former teammate Draymond Green touched on during a recent episode of his podcast "The Draymond Green Show."
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (1) and forward Draymond Green (23) battle for position with Memphis Grizzlies center Jock Landale (31) in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Cary Edmondson-Imagn ImagesLow Salary = Low Tolerance
"Here's where those things get dicey, when you go to a team on a lower level salary... and all of a sudden that starting lineup isn't getting off to great starts... a 6.5 million dollar salary in the NBA is a bench role salary," Green said. "So my only worry for J.K. is that if it's not working, you're the first plug that gets pulled."
Players being paid starter-level money also have starter-level expectations and even if a player with a high salary isn't performing, teams can easily feel pressure to keep rolling them out in the starting five every night because they have to justify the price attached to said player.
Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) is defended by New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesKuminga doesn't have that kind of association and even if it would be ideal for Kuminga to be an effective starting power forward, thus allowing Jaden McDaniels to play his natural position of small forward more consistently, it also wouldn't be seen as the end of the world if Kuminga had to be relegated to a bench role instead.
What the Ideal Situation Looks Like
That being said, even Green's hypothetical scenario doesn't project Kuminga to be outright axed from the team, but rather that he simply ends up as a bench option instead.
Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) dribbles during the second half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesThe most ideal scenario for both Kuminga and the Timberwolves is that he does work in the starting lineup and better yet, that he's able to take his own leaps as a player and become more well-rounded as both a scorer and a defender to help supplement the loss in production from Reid and Randle.
But even if things don't workout in the most ideal of ways, Kuminga wouldn't be the most expensive bench piece in the league.
