It finally happened. Just not like the Los Angeles Lakers and their millions of faithful fans anticipated.
On Wednesday, free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga ended a long summer stalemate and signed a mult-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, spurning the Lakers after nearly two months of pursuit.
Reported ESPN’s Shams Charania on X, formerly Twitter: “BREAKING: Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus a player option, agent Aaron Turner tells ESPN. Kuminga will be a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on the West contender.”
Why Jonathan Kuminga Said No to the Lakers
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Lakers’ final contract offer to Kuminga — whom they initially offered a two-year deal worth $20 million this offseason — was around $12 million per year.
“Kuminga chose the Timberwolves over offers from the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers — bypassing a similar starting role and $12 million-plus annually over three years from the Lakers in a sign-and-trade scenario, deciding on Minnesota on a shorter-term, prove-it deal to give him the ability to have more control of his future and possibly jump back in free agency next summer, league sources told Charania,” Slater wrote.
Slated noted that Kuminga and the Lakers simply weren’t able to come to terms on a deal despite weeks of negotiations. A former lottery pick, Kuminga now heads to Minnesota after being traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Atlanta Hawks ahead of last season’s trade deadline.
Wolves Chased Kuminga
As we now learn, the Wolves were just as, if not more, committed to land Kuminga.
“In the past month, the Timberwolves persistently recruited Kuminga, offering their best remaining financial tool — the taxpayer midlevel exception — attached to a large on-court opportunity,” Slater wrote. “Edwards was a vocal part of the full-court recruiting press to sign Kuminga. Team president Tim Connelly traveled to Miami for a four-hour in-person meeting with Kuminga earlier this month, and the sixth-year wing also held productive conversations with coach Chris Finch, league sources said.”
In the end, the Lakers’ most ideal path to landing Kuminga was through a sign-and-trade. But achieving that required cooperation from three sides: L.A., Kuminga and the Hawks.
“The Lakers pursued Kuminga the hardest in the early weeks of free agency. General manager Rob Pelinka had several discussions with Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh about sign-and-trade scenarios to land Kuminga, but the three sides — Lakers, Hawks and Kuminga — could never land on a result that appeased everyone.”
The Wolves also had a glaring need at power forward; Kuminga’s addition gives them a young piece to potentially plug into the starting lineup that features plenty of offense and defense.
Meanwhile, with Kuminga officially off the board, the Lakers are now left having to continue their search elsewhere.
Report: Lakers’ Final Offer Jonathan Kuminga Rejected for Wolves Revealed