The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to sign Jonathan Kuminga after agreeing on a two-year contract last week.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards played a major role in Kuminga’s recruitment.
Team president Tim Connelly and head coach Chris Finch personally went to Miami to meet with Kuminga and his representatives. It was a productive meeting, which led to a reported two-year, $12.4 million deal.
Edwards Used Kuminga’s Warrior History in Recruitment Pitch
Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported that he spoke to Jonathan Kuminga’s agent Aaron Turner, who revealed details of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ recruitment approach.
Krawczynski revealed that Anthony Edwards was hands-on on his pitches to Kuminga, mentioning what he can bring on offense and defense. Edwards even used Kuminga’s history with the Golden State Warriors, mainly his performance in the 2025 Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves.
“(Edwards) started with defense and saying, ‘Hey, if you come here, we’re gonna focus on the defensive end. We’re gonna be a really tough defensive team to play against with you and me and Rudy and Jaden McDaniels,'” Krawczynski said, via BasketNews.
“Then the second thing he told Jonathan Kuminga was, ‘I know that you can cook offensively,'” he added. “He had a very good playoff series against the Wolves when he was with the Warriors two years ago. He said, ‘Look, if there’s a matchup night where you just have the fourth-best defender on you and you can go at him, I’m gonna say go get him.'”
Kuminga averaged 20.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in the five-game series. He also shot 54.3% from the field, including 42.1% from 3-point range. He was the team’s secondary scoring option after Jimmy Butler.
Steph Curry suffered a hamstring injury in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series as the Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference finals.
Kuminga’s Role in Minnesota
The Minnesota Timberwolves badly needed a starting power forward after trading Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets and Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets this offseason.
The Timberwolves were first linked to LeBron James, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. They turned their attention to Jonathan Kuminga after the Atlanta Hawks declined their team option, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Despite interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans, Kuminga chose to sign with the Timberwolves.
His agent, Aaron Turner, revealed on The Kevin O’Connor Show that Kuminga’s role in Minnesota will be whatever the team wants to do. It fits into Anthony Edwards’ recruiting pitch of using Kuminga’s athleticism on defense and relying on his offense depending on matchups.
NBA training camp starts on September 29, with the Timberwolves opening the preseason on October 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jonathan Kuminga’s Warriors History Used by Anthony Edwards to Recruit Him