Could the Minnesota Timberwolves land Jonathan Kuminga?
The Minnesota Timberwolves have revamped their roster this offseason, but one hole is still glaringly obvious.
After acquiring LaMelo Ball to add playmaking and creation in the backcourt, the team is now short on frontcourt options after trading Naz Reid and Julius Randle, its top two power forwards on the depth chart.
Randle was effectively salary dumped to the Brooklyn Nets as the Timberwolves attached their 2026 first-round pick to the deal, getting back a 2026 second-round pick in return.
Reid was the key piece in the deal to acquire LaMelo.
In trading their top two power forwards, the Timberwolves now enter the season with Rudy Gobert, Trey Lyles, and Joan Beringer as their top three frontcourt players.
Jonathan Kuminga?
According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the Timberwolves are interested in unrestricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
Minnesota has a $6 million taxpayer mid-level exception to offer Kuminga, which would be below his reported asking price of around $15 million per season. The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly looking to sign him to a three-year, $45 million deal, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have interest in him via a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks, with whom Kuminga finished the season.
The Timberwolves could theoretically get in on a sign-and-trade as well, but they don't have the assets that the Lakers or Cavaliers would have to offer.
A Good Fit?
The Timberwolves need all the help they can get in the frontcourt, and Kuminga has a skill set that could be valuable on this team.
There is upside as a defensive playmaker and offensive attacker. He's not a good shooter from deep, knocking down just 33% of his three-point attempts last season between the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks, but the Timberwolves dealt with the spacing issues of Randle and Gobert and figured out a way to make it work.
The money is far below what he's looking for, and there is no sign-and-trade option unless Donte DiVincenzo, who will miss the majority of the season after undergoing Achilles surgery, is involved. Trading DiVincenzo, who provides no immediate value for the Hawks, likely means parting with more draft compensation.
The selling point to Kuminga has to be that he'll be a starter on a team that has made the Western Conference Finals in two of the last three seasons and has the opportunity for a bigger role on the Timberwolves than he would on the Lakers or Cavaliers.
