Editor’s Note: I want to take this moment to introduce Brandon Mullen, who is joining the staff here at Canis. This is certainly (hopefully) the first of many pieces you’ll be seeing from Brandon, so please join me in welcoming him to the site.
The Minnesota Timberwolves formally introduced recently acquired forward Jonathan Kuminga on Wednesday alongside President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly. The full press conference can be found here or embedded below.
Each presser is going to be filled with PR mumbo jumbo, but there is always truth to be found in the weeds of topics. Here are some things that stood out:
FIT-IN, not FIT-OUT
A recurring theme in the presser was about how Kuminga understood what the Wolves had built before his arrival, and how he wanted to be a part of what was already happening in the Land of 10,000 Lakes rather than repeat a LeBron James / Kevin Love situation:
My game, my mentality, pretty much everything fits well with this group… they can put me wherever. Run the floor, screen, defend, play fast, whatever it is… I think including myself with those guys, we have a chance… just me bringing my mentality and what they have already, I think we can do a great job out here.
When asked later about Minnesota’s defensive identity, Kuminga shared his focus, and his logic for joining Minnesota’s squad:
Being around one of the best defenders in the league, people like Jaden [McDaniels], I think I could learn so much more. I think Ant is a good defender. And then we got Rudy. Watching those guys, they could help me in so many ways… just being around those types of guys pretty much every day… that’s going to help me learn some things I didn’t even know about defense before… trying to include myself with them, they’re the kind of group that are going to push me and help me every single day, and if we have a great defense the offense will come in time and will make the offense easier. It’s going to be fun.
Connelly agreed, saying, “I think collectively, his addition to our group is perfect.”
It’s encouraging that this bell was rung not once, not twice, but multiple times throughout the press conference by both Kuminga and Connelly in response to multiple questions. It suggests that finding a way to fit in with an already competitive team wasn’t an afterthought, but was a primary focus of conversations before Kuminga’s arrival, and is likely a sincerely desired outcome for all parties.
Relationships Matter
As with most jobs, the NBA is about relationships. Sometimes it’s what you know, but often it’s who you know. The Wolves having a pre-existing relationship with Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, certainly helped smooth the process.
Connelly hit the topic with clarity:
You want to sell, but you don’t want to recruit… his agent’s a guy we’ve known forever and we’ve had a bunch of players with, so that was super helpful. Aaron [Turner] was great. And then just sitting down with them… we hung out with these guys and said what we thought we could do together.
Turner also represents Josh Minott, who played in Minnesota from 2022-25, Daishen Nix, a leader of the bench mob in 2023-25, and Tristen Newton, who lasted only a year in 2025.
Kuminga also talked about how the way Timberwolves players and executives treated him and connected with him made a difference in the decision to come to Minnesota:
I think me and Melo and Ant spoke every single day, especially Ant. He called me, he checked up on me. He’s a very genuine person… that just shows how much he wants to bring me over here. And you got these two guys, Tim [Connelly] and Alonzo [Gee, Wolves basketball operations assistant] coming to Miami to check up on me and have some great conversations, and it wasn’t just about basketball. It was about kids. Life… them wanting me to be here felt real… making a decision felt very easy after talking to Alonzo and the team and the rest of the guys.
With such a familiarity already surrounding him, with his agent’s trust with the organization greasing the wheels, it makes sense why Kuminga chose Minnesota. Quite simply, the Lakers would do what was best for them, extracting what they could from the young forward.
The Wolves wanted a mutually beneficial outcome.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 14: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shakes hands with Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors after winning Game Five of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Target Center on May 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kuminga Sees Himself as a Winner
When asked about Minnesota’s team culture, Kuminga praised what the Wolves have built and noted that their core is still “a young group of guys.” He also argued that his experience winning in Golden State could help Minnesota…
They just have that mentality, they want to win. I have a couple years [in the NBA] now. I know what winning is. I know what it takes to win…
…and when asked later about what he wanted to show in his Wolves tenure, he added this:
Being a winner. Try to contribute every single day… as long as I come here in every single day, I’m a winner, I’m a good teammate, I’m a good person, everything will take care of itself… just trying to win, and that’s about it.
While Kuminga won a chip in Golden State and played meaningful regular-season minutes, he was more limited in two of their three playoff runs during his tenure. This includes their title-winning season in 2022.
To be fair, he was a rookie and rotations get short in the postseason, but he still went from 17 minutes a game in the regular season to just 8.6 minutes in the playoffs, then logged just eight total minutes over four Finals games (he did not play in Games 4 and 6).
Even if Kuminga’s postseason role was limited, he spent five seasons with one of the NBA’s winningest franchises of the era and saw firsthand what a championship team looks like:
“[Kuminga] brings championship DNA,” Connelly later said. “He’s seen it. He’s done things we’re [aspiring] to do.”
The Wolves will hope to add a ring to Kuminga’s cabinet this year.
Read the full article here
