One name that had been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers throughout much of this offseason has been Jonathan Kuminga. The former Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors wing made sense as the Lakers are in need of some more size on the wings after losing both LeBron James and Rui Hachimura this summer.
It seemed as if Kuminga was waiting for James to make his free agency decision before deciding where he would go. The Cleveland Cavaliers were one option that made sense, but they instead targeted Peyton Watson, leaving the Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves as the last suitors for Kuminga. Ultimately, he has decided to join the Timberwolves, per Shams Charania of ESPN:
BREAKING: Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus a player option, agent Aaron Turner tells ESPN. Kuminga will be a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on the West contender. pic.twitter.com/KdtD6YEy9j
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2026
The Timberwolves have undergone a lot of roster changes this offseason, leaving them without a starting power forward, a role Kuminga should fill.
The Lakers had the same potential role available for Kuminga, but it became clear throughout this process that he didn’t want to be in L.A.
Kuminga had some very public issues during his last couple of seasons with the Warriors as he wanted a bigger role on the team and clashed with head coach Steve Kerr over that. He was eventually traded to the Hawks at last season’s trade deadline and, while he had some solid moments, didn’t necessarily break out in the way some had anticipated.
The Lakers tried hard to convince him to come to L.A. with an expanded role and the opportunity to play alongside Luka Doncic, but he felt the Timberwolves were the better option for him. For their part, the Lakers have already made a couple of moves to help out their perimeter defense, signing Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle to one-year deals.
Both sides now move on with Kuminga and the Timberwolves hoping to make a run in what is a top-heavy Western Conference, while the Lakers look elsewhere to continue to build up this roster.
New Lakers wing Matisse Thybulle ‘fully healthy’ this offseason
Thybulle has proven himself to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA when healthy, but unfortunately he has dealt with numerous injury issues that limited him to just 45 games over the last two seasons. That is hopefully behind him now as he is reportedly “fully healthy” this offseason, which is a great sign for the Lakers, especially after missing out on Kuminga.
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