The Los Angeles Lakers are still figuring out their next move after missing out on free agent Jonathan Kuminga. Lakers legend Robert Horry had some critical comments for Kuminga passing on the Lakers to join the Minnesota Timberwolves. The forward position remains a huge concern for the Lakers with only secondary names left to sign on the NBA free agent market.
Horry questioned Kuminga’s decision and revealed why picking Minnesota was a huge mistake:
“Hey, of all places he went, you ain’t going to touch the damn ball there, dude. What the hell? You going to have four people. When you think about that team, though, first option, [Anthony Edwards]. Second option, of course, LaMelo [Ball]. Third option, what?
What’s his name? [Jaden] McDaniels? You got to think about how the development of McDaniel was last season when Ant-Man was out… Ayo [Dosunmu], the guy that they just gave all that money… [Kuminga] going to be right back in a same situation in Golden State where you going to be pouting because you can’t do what you want to do.”
The belief of Horry is that Kuminga will be the team’s fourth option in Minnesota. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves would have clearly been above Kuminga in the pecking order, but he passed up being the clear third option on a legacy franchise.
Why Jonathan Kuminga Turned Down The Lakers
A recent quote from Kuminga saw him revealing that he felt Minnesota had the best chance to contend for an NBA Championship. The core of Edwards, Ball, McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert sees Kuminga fitting in as the fifth player for the starting lineup.
Lakers fans took offense to Kuminga turning them down, but his point does make sense. Most pundits have the Timberwolves above the Lakers in the secondary contenders’ tier behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Kuminga is hoping to prove he can contribute to winning basketball after developing a negative reputation with the Golden State Warriors. The plan of Kuminga is to take part in deep playoff runs for Minnesota over the past two years to show he’s a winner and get a better contract next free agency period.
Does Robert Horry Make A Good Point?
Horry believes that Kuminga could have done more as a third option for the Lakers since he’s a better offensive player than Walker Kessler. Despite the big contract making Kessler a top three star on the team, he’s there for defense and sees a need for more offense from power forward.
Kuminga could have also benefited from playing with Doncic since he’s known for getting the best out of his role player teammates. PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Rui Hachimura are just a few names to benefit from Luka’s passing skills.
However, the topic comes back to which team has a better chance of winning. Kuminga bet on Edwards and the Timberwolves system to have deep playoff runs in recent memory. The loss of Julius Randle sees Kuminga having that role with more help around him.
Robert Horry Predicts Jonathan Kuminga Will Regret Turning Down Lakers