One of the final pieces of the NBA offseason has fallen into place.
Free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves worth $12.4 million, his agent told ESPN. The second season is a player option.
In late June, the Hawks declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option, making him a free agent. The Lakers had been linked to Kuminga this offseason, but their cap situation made acquiring him complicated − though they did offer Kuminga a three-year deal worth more than $12 million per season, according to ESPN.
With the Timberwolves, Kuminga gets the chance to start alongside Anthony Edwards and newly-acquired guard LaMelo Ball, providing another scoring and slashing threat. An increased role had been a priority for Kuminga, who had started just 24 games across the last two seasons.
The deal represents a chance for Kuminga to bet on himself, with a potential opportunity to hit the open market next offseason, when teams are expected to have an influx of salary cap space to spend. For that to happen, Kuminga would need to decline his player option for 2027-28 and become an unrestricted free agent. Should Kuminga play well this season in Minnesota, it could set him up for a more lucrative, long-term deal.
Kuminga, 23, is set to enter his sixth year in the league, but is nonetheless very young despite his experience in the NBA.
In fact, Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg — the No. 11 overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft playing for Kuminga’s old team — is actually six days older than Kuminga.
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
NBA commissioner Adam Silver poses with 2026 draft prospects before the NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
NBA commissioner Adam Silver poses with 2026 draft prospects before the NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with AJ Dybantsa after h is drafted first overall by the Washington Wizards during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
(Arturo Holmes, Getty Images)
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with AJ Dybantsa after he is drafted first overall by the Washington Wizards during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
(Arturo Holmes, Getty Images)
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
AJ Dybantsa is drafted first overall by the Washington Wizards during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
(Arturo Holmes, Getty Images)
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
(Arturo Holmes, Getty Images)
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
Cameron Boozer awaits the start of Round One.
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
Caleb Wilson poses with family prior to Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
Chris Cenac Jr. poses for a photo with Kelvin Sampson prior to Round One.
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
Mikel Brown Jr. awaits the start of Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
(Arturo Holmes, Getty Images)
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Every player selected in the NBA Draft 2026 first round in photos
An interior view of Barclays Center prior to Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
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The weakness in Kuminga’s game is his perimeter shooting — he converted just 33.3% of his 3-point attempts last season — and defense. The Timberwolves will need to mask some of those defensive deficiencies, but they are well equipped to do so with stoppers like forward Jaden McDaniels and center Rudy Gobert.
The Timberwolves had been missing a forward after they traded Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in late June. Kuminga, who is 6-foot-7, appears poised to inherit that spot.
Across 36 games last season, Kuminga averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jonathan Kuminga signing with Timberwolves: What deal means
