Timberwolves Sign Jonathan Kuminga To Two-Year Deal

Word broke on August 26 that Kuminga had agreed to a two-year deal with Minnesota that includes a second-year player option. The Timberwolves used the taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the transaction.

At the time the contract was reported, Minnesota couldn’t sign Kuminga to the terms of his new deal. But the team created the financial flexibility necessary to sign Kuminga by trading Josh Green to the Jazz for Cody Williams and John Konchar, who was subsequently waived.

The Wolves reportedly used the stretch provision on Konchar’s contract, spreading his $6.17MM cap hit across three seasons, resulting in annual cap charges of roughly $2.06MM.

By swapping out Green’s expiring $14.68MM contract for Williams ($6.02MM) and incurring a $2.06MM cap charge for Konchar, Minnesota generated approximately $6.6MM in cap savings, moving the team $10.6MM below it second-apron hard cap.

After officially completing the trade, waiving-and-stretching Konchar’s deal, and signing Kuminga, the Wolves now have 14 players under contract and still have $4.5MM in breathing room under their hard cap, giving them more than enough space to add a 15th man on a minimum-salary contract.

Kuminga, who was selected seventh overall in the 2021 draft, averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists on .463/.333/.724 shooting in 36 appearances last season with Golden State and Atlanta. The 6’7″ forward spent four-and-a-half seasons with the Warriors prior to being traded to the Hawks in February.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, star guard Anthony Edwards, and co-owner Alex Rodriguez all played a role in recruiting Kuminga to Minnesota. Agent Aaron Turner subsequently explained why Kuminga chose the Wolves despite receiving more lucrative offers and defended his handling of Kuminga’s free agency.