The Minnesota Timberwolves’ front office outdueled the Los Angeles Lakers’, and their personnel sold him on their realistic title chances. Now, Jonathan Kuminga is a Timberwolf.
Many Wolves fans thought their offseason moves were productive, but not necessarily enough to put them over the top. However, with the addition of Kuminga and the trade of Josh Green to the Utah Jazz, things look very different now. Instead of dwelling on the loss of Naz Reid, fans can focus on how Kuminga fills that void.
The Wolves Pulled Off an Aggressive Recruiting Pitch
After acquiring LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota was in a tough spot cap-wise in filling out the rest of their 2026-27 roster. They needed a starting-caliber power forward, but they had only their $6.1 million taxpayer mid-level exception left. Not exactly an enticing offer in today’s NBA.
When Minnesota lost out on the LeBron James sweepstakes to the Philadelphia 76ers, they were forced to pivot. This sent Wolves fans into a frenzy, as it was a scenario that historically hasn’t ended well for Minnesota. Matt Lloyd and Tim Connelly were preparing their next move behind the scenes.
As The Athletic wrote in their piece regarding the signing of Kuminga, “Instead of giving in to history, Anthony Edwards, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and a new ownership tandem of Marc Stad and Alex Rodriguez united to woo Kuminga and address the biggest weakness on their roster.” This should come as a breath of fresh air to Minnesota fans.
The same article detailed that financial flexibility and willingness to spend aren’t exactly in the Wolves’ DNA, but times are clearly changing. “When new controlling owner Marc Stad told Connelly that he had the green light to do whatever it took to get up to the $6 million taxpayer mid-level exception, the door opened in earnest, and Edwards kicked it down.”
In years past, a signing like this would’ve been ruled out on day one because of the organization’s instability and inability to build a winning roster. Fast forward to the dawn of the 2026-27 season, and the Timberwolves are making “final piece” additions to complement their newfound standard — competing for a championship.
Kuminga Is Taking a Short-Term Bet on Himself
Despite only playing in 16 regular-season games for the Hawks, Kuminga averaged 12.3 points. He reached double figures in five of Atlanta’s six playoff games in April, including a 21-point performance to help give the Hawks a 2-1 first-round series lead over the eventual champion New York Knicks. He showed flashes of brilliance during the playoff run, and teams around the league took notice.
This contract has significant implications for Kuminga, especially related to how the league views him. By turning down more money elsewhere to join a contending Minnesota team, the move is widely viewed as a short-term bet on himself — with potentially a larger contract coming in the future.
The Cap Math Had to Work Before Anything Else
With everything worked out on the Kuminga front, the Timberwolves still had a couple of ancillary moves to make to get back under the second apron.
Yossi Gozlan made note of this, posting, “The Timberwolves will use the $6.1 million taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Jonathan Kuminga to these terms. However, they’ll need to shed payroll first as they don’t have enough second apron space to fit this.”
In the following days, Tim Connelly orchestrated a trade that sent Josh Green and cash considerations to the Utah Jazz for guard Cody Williams and veteran combo guard John Konchar.
This trade, combined with the signing of Kuminga, leaves the Wolves about $4.5 million below the second apron’s hard cap — avoiding any tax penalty. Gozlan also notes, “Wolves will incur three $2.05 million dead cap hits for John Konchar through 2028-29. They can sign a 15th player and will have more apron flexibility during the season.”
The Wolves Still Need One More Piece
Now that the Wolves can sign a 15th and final player, Minnesota may do just that. In a post on X.com, Jon Krawczynski wrote, “I suspect the Wolves will look to add another veteran who, at minimum, can be a real locker room presence while helping on the floor in spot duty if needed.”
Most recently, Purdue big man Trey Kaufmann-Renn, who was drafted 59th overall by Minnesota in the 2026 NBA Draft, re-entered the NCAA transfer portal after not signing a contract with the Timberwolves. This only adds to the frontcourt depth the team needs. With all three two-way contracts filled, the Wolves will need an additional end-of-bench veteran who can contribute when called on.
Many think that a reunion with former Wolves big man Kevin Love could be in the works. JaVale McGee is also a name that has been floated as an end-of-bench type supplement to add another big body.
Taking the “Diapers Off”
Head coach Chris Finch is officially ready to hand the reins over to Minnesota’s young core.
At the team’s annual preseason press availability, he proved as much when he said, “We purposefully haven’t added a bunch of veterans to the team this year. My approach with Ant or with Jaden or with all these guys is, if we’re going to take the diapers off, let’s take the diapers off.”
Finch is clearly assigning more responsibility and leadership duties to the Wolves’ youngsters. Given the complexities of roster construction in today’s NBA, which leave little room for experimentation, and with Anthony Edwards entering his sixth NBA season, the time is understandably now.
After a whale of change this offseason, Minnesota fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into the new season.
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