Jonathan Kuminga Calls Wolves Contract 'One of the Best Decisions I've Made' After Rejecting Lakers

While the saga dragged on for longer than he probably wanted, veteran forward Jonathan Kuminga is happy with how his free agency concluded this summer.

"Just looking back, I think I would say it's one of the best decisions I've made, just looking at the roster, looking at the young group of guys they have and just seeing what they've done in the past," he told reporters Thursday during an introductory press conference.

Kuminga settled on a two-year, $12.4 million deal, though the second year is a player option.

According to ESPN's Anthony Slater and Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers tabled formal offers to the 23-year-old. The Lakers specifically were prepared to give him "a similar starting role and $12 million-plus annually over three years."

Kuminga is setting himself up to potentially earn a bigger payday next summer, and he's nothing if not confident in his own abilities.

Minnesota is fifth in Bleacher Report's NBA power rankings after having added Kuminga and LaMelo Ball. The Wolves aren't championship favorites, but they should make a deep run. Any team success would boost's Kuminga's value to prospective suitors.

But we've already seen this strategy backfire once before.

The Golden State Warriors re-signed Kuminga, only to trade him in February when it became clear their relationship was untenable. The Atlanta Hawks then weren't convinced enough to pick up his $24.3 million option for 2026-27, putting him on course to take a pay cut.

Kuminga should get plenty of playing time in Minnesota after the trades of Julius Randle and Naz Reid thinned out the frontcourt. He figures to be the starting 4 alongside center Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels.

But it's incumbent upon Kuminga to either make a major breakthrough — the kind that proved elusive in Golden State — or show he can excel in more of a supporting role. He's running out of time to prove he still has a level of untapped potential that failed to materialize during his first five years in the NBA.