Jonathan Kuminga: Wolves’ Recruiting Pitch ‘Felt Real’

Kuminga was greeted by a “Welcome” message on a giant video screen outside Target Center as he prepared to explain to reporters why he chose to come to Minnesota.

“Them wanting me to be here, it felt real,” he said. “They were very genuine people, and these are people you could sit down with and have a conversation. A lot of people, you can’t sit down with and have an actual conversation with about certain things, and I think that’s when I felt the vibe — including (Anthony Edwards). Me and him sat on the phone and spoke about certain things, and that just made me feel very comfortable. I think making a decision was very easy after talking to (front-office staffer Alonzo Gee) and (president of basketball operations Tim Connelly) and the rest of the guys.”

Edwards led the recruiting push, and he showed up to greet Kuminga when he arrived in Minneapolis. Connelly and Gee flew to Miami for a face-to-face meeting with Kuminga to talk about what his future with the Wolves would look like, and owner Alex Rodriguez reached out as well. Those efforts paid off when Kuminga agreed to a two-year, $12.5MM contract in late August that includes a player option for the second season.

Kuminga went through four-and-a-half uneasy years with Golden State, often clashing with coach Steve Kerr over his role on the team and fluctuating playing time. He was traded to Atlanta in February, but was still used mainly as a reserve, then found himself back into free agency when the Hawks declined their $24.3MM team option for next season.

Kuminga is expected to get the guaranteed starting spot he’s been wanting with the Wolves, who were in the market for a power forward after trading away Julius Randle and Naz Reid this offseason. Before he signed, the team’s best option at the position was Trey Lyles, who played in Europe last season.

That perk helped Connelly convince Kuminga to choose the Wolves when other interested teams may have been able to double his $6MM starting salary, Krawczynski adds. The Lakers were particularly interested and were reportedly willing to offer a longer-term contract, but they needed to work out a sign-and-trade to add Kuminga and couldn’t find any teams willing to help facilitate it. Krawczynski states that the Trail Blazers were also “hovering” throughout Kuminga’s free agency.

“It just seems like serendipity,” Connelly said. “It seems like the right time, right place. We’re a team that needs what he brings both on and off the court, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. What we’ve told him from the first time we sat down was this is about having fun, enjoying yourself. He’s produced every year. He’s won every year. His first five years have been fantastic, and hopefully his sixth is the best one yet.”

Also at the press conference, Kuminga said he’s eager to show off his defensive skills playing alongside high-level defenders like Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels. He tried to ease concerns that he’ll be playing for his next contract, given that he has a chance to reenter free agency next summer.

“As long as I come here every day and I’m a winner, a good teammate and a good person, everything will take care of itself,” Kuminga said. “I don’t need to do things that I haven’t done before. I don’t think that’s my purpose or what I’m looking forward to. It’s just trying to win.”