Kuminga snubs Lakers for Timberwolves, then Draymond Green rips his agent over podcast comments

Kuminga's free agency ends with a shocker and it's way less money than expected

Jonathan Kuminga's long, messy free agency finally has a landing spot, and it's not the one most people saw coming. The former Golden State Warriors lottery pick has agreed to a two-year deal worth roughly $12.4-13 million with the Minnesota Timberwolves a number that stunned plenty of fans given the market that was reportedly out there for him.

That's the headline. But the real story broke a day later, when Draymond Green torched Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, for going public with details of the negotiation on a podcast.

Why Kuminga chose Minnesota over a bigger Lakers offer

This wasn't just about who offered the most cash in fact, it's the opposite. The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly put a three-year offer on the table worth more than $12 million per season, which would have paid out more total money than what Minnesota gave him. The Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers were also in the mix.

Kuminga went a different route on purpose. He wanted a short-term deal that gets him back to unrestricted free agency next summer, betting on himself to land a bigger payday once he's had a real chance to prove his value in a new system.

Minnesota star Anthony Edwards reportedly played a direct role in the recruitment, personally selling Kuminga on a defined role that leans into his defensive upside and puts him in the starting lineup alongside Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and Ayo Dosunmu.

What the Lakers do now

Losing out on Kuminga forced the Lakers to pivot fast. They quickly turned around and landed center Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz, addressing depth at the five.

The bigger hole is still at forward. L.A. is reportedly exploring options like PJ Washington, De'Andre Hunter, and Bruce Brown to fill the spot Kuminga would have occupied, and a reunion with Kyle Kuzma remains on the table as well.

• Lakers currently sit about $8.1 million below the $209 million salary cap
• Jarred Vanderbilt is making $12.4 million this season with a $13.2 million player option for next year
• Center depth is still a stated priority alongside the forward search

Not everyone in Lakers land is upset about how this played out. Insider Deondre Hawkins framed it as the front office dodging a mistake rather than missing out on a star.

Draymond Green goes off on Kuminga's agent

Here's where things got heated. On The Draymond Green Show, Green didn't attack Kuminga — he attacked Turner for how he defended the deal publicly, including on a podcast appearance where Turner discussed specifics of Kuminga's money.

"This is a tough one for me because of my love for JK. I've met Aaron, a great guy. But this is not good," Green said. "Absolutely unnecessary to talk about this man's pockets on a podcast... talking about somebody's 11 and a half million dollars, 'that's it'? THAT'S IT?! This ain't Monopoly money! Out here telling this young fella's business, that ain't cool."

The backdrop matters here: the Warriors reportedly offered Kuminga a three-year, roughly $100 million extension last year, which he turned down heading into the 2025-26 season. That rejection is part of why Turner has faced criticism, and why he went on the record to defend the decision.

Turner didn't back down, per The Athletic's Sam Vecenie: "Everybody's like 'Aaron f***** up,' I'm like, hold on, did I fumble something? Because fumbling would mean that next year if JK is making $10 million a year, you could say I fumbled by not taking $3.75 million. You can't say I fumbled because I didn't fumble anything yet — we made a choice... Most people, if you had to negotiate for two more weeks to make a couple of million dollars more, wouldn't you do that? Isn't that my job?"

The bigger question: does Kuminga even fit in Minnesota?

Green's criticism wasn't limited to the agent drama. He also warned that Kuminga is walking into a pressure-cooker situation in Minnesota. If the Timberwolves' rotation doesn't click, Green suggested Kuminga could quickly find his role shrinking rather than growing.

The concern is rooted in Kuminga's profile as a player: he's a ball-dependent scorer who has shot just 33% from three for his career, which doesn't exactly scream 'plug-and-play' next to a heliocentric guard like Edwards.

Context also matters here. Kuminga is only 23, but his final year in Golden State was rocky — he reportedly requested a trade after falling out of the rotation under head coach Steve Kerr, appearing in just 20 games for the Warriors last season amid a tense relationship with the coaching staff.

What's next

Kuminga is betting on a one-year audition to reset his market, and Minnesota is betting that Edwards' pitch was more than just recruiting talk. Whether this ends with Kuminga cashing in next summer — or with Draymond's warning proving prophetic — should be one of the more interesting subplots to track once the season tips off.