While the Timberwolves might not be happy to hear this, Jonathan Kuminga's shelf life with the team already has a limit. His agent is looking forward to next summer when Kuminga is a free agent, and teams like the Sacramento Kings have more financial freedom to make him a long-term offer.
Being that Kuminga only recently signed with the Wolves, it seemed odd for his agent to give an interview about him planning to leave the Wolves. Yet, that's what Aaron Turner recently did. He explained that Kuminga took less money from Minnesota now to get more money later.
The contract Kuminga signed with the Wolves is for two seasons, but it has a player option for the second season. Being that Turner talked about Kuminga being an unrestricted free agent in 2027, that would seem to indicate that his client intends not to take that option and leave the Wolves.
While no one would dispute Kuminga's right to bet on himself and play where he wants, his agent's comments might be a little premature. 2026-2027 hasn't even started yet, and his new team may be under the impression his heart isn't with this roster. Not a great first impression.
The Kings are still in the Kuminga game
One of the teams mentioned in Turner's interview was the Kings, which isn't a surprise. Sacramento and Kuminga have been dancing around each other for almost a year and a half. It all started when he was trying to move on from Golden State and name-dropped the Kings as a preferred destination.
The Kings were unable to put together a trade package that interested the Warriors. It's also possible that Golden State just didn't want to do business with their regional rival. Regardless, the Warriors made a trade with the Hawks that sent Kuminga to Atlanta. Then, he hit the market once again.
This time, the Kings just didn't have the money to afford him, so the Wolves deal happened. Kuminga passed up bigger money offers to make sure he had the aforementioned player option. If he leaves the Wolves in 2027, that's the same time Zach LaVine is done with the Kings. The money is there.
It's hard to say why Kuminga is so fixated on the Kings. While the reason is almost irrelevant, it actually seems like he wants to be there. And there's no denying the potential he as an anchor for this slowly changing roster. There's no guarantee this will happen, but both sides seem to want it.
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