Anthony Edwards was a massive part of recruiting Jonathan Kuminga.
Jonathan Kuminga is in a critical position right now after joining the Minnesota Timberwolves and with Kuminga's presence as an established power forward with years of experience in the league, Kuminga completes the Minnesota roster in a variety of ways.
The Timberwolves have needed a power forward since trading away both Naz Reid and Julius Randle earlier in the offseason and Kuminga does fit that bill and it took a lot of effort from the Timberwolves to recruit Kuminga.
As the free agency dragged on, Kuminga became one of the most hotly-contested free agents left, with teams like the Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks all reportedly being interested in him, but it was the Timberwolves that won out in the end and picked Kuminga up on a contract that seemed far lower than what Kuminga was going to warrant.
One of the biggest factors in recruiting Kuminga to the Timberwolves was Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves star, making a personal pitch to Kuminga's camp and promising Kuminga that he'll be able to play his way without too much interference.
Letting Kuminga Be Kuminga
Kuminga's agent Aaron Turner, who has been on an expansive media tour in the wake of his client's signing with the Timberwolves, revealed Edwards' pitch in a recent interview.
“I want you to come here and I want you to do everything you do and do it loudly. I feel where you’re coming from. I can understand what you’ve dealt with through these parts of your career and I want you to come in here and be Jonathan Kuminga," Turner said Edwards told Kuminga (via Kevin O'Connor).
It's easy to see why this kind of assurance from Edwards would be appealing to Kuminga, considering that he spent years with the Golden State Warriors being asked to play a role he wasn't completely used to.
The particular issue with many of the demands that have been made of Kuminga was for him to play more of a defensive role, rather than being the offensive force that he preferred to play like.
ANT's Promises
Turner further explained that Edwards told Kuminga that "everyone's going to guard" and that Kuminga didn't have to take over a role that he wasn't used to.
Edwards apparently explained that Kuminga wa going to be able to play the role offensively that he preferred to play as, which was less likely to be the case for a team like the Lakers, who were looking for Kuminga to be more of a defensive force to address the Lakers' own defensive needs.
That pitch clearly worked and with the assurance that Kuminga could be the player that he always wanted to be, he was happy to find a new home in Minnesota.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles past Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) in the third quarter during game three in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) is defended by New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga(0) is defended by New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson (00) in the second quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga(0) is defended by New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson (00) in the second quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Brett Davis-Imagn Images
