“I checked my phone and saw that we had had 94 phone calls until the day we signed him”

Jonathan Kuminga was one of the last big names to fall off the NBA free agent market. The forward, who joined the Hawks from the Warriors at the close of the last transfer window, concluded his contract and was free to negotiate with any team. However, he ended up giving in regarding his salary demands and, finally, signed a reduced contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the end of August, worth 12.4 million for two seasons, the second of which was optional.

The soap opera with Kuminga is one that goes back a long way, since the forward already sought an extension in his day with the Warriors, and that agreement was never finalized due to important differences between both parties. At the time, Golden State offered him a contract of around 30 million annually, while the player, a restricted free agent, requested 45. In the end, he ended up signing for 46.8 million for two seasons with the Bay Area, but his future was already far from the Californian team, which ultimately ended up sending him to Atlanta.

Although the player’s demands continued to be high this summer as well, no team ended up expressing a genuine interest in incorporating him with a large long-term contract, as there were very few teams with the salary margin to make a proposal that fell within their claims. In the end, as the weeks went by, Kuminga ended up opting for the Timberwolves’ offer, one that ended up convincing him thanks in large part to the insistence of their star Anthony Edwards and, also, thanks to their privileged position in the Western Conference.

After the signing was officially finalized, Minnesota were satisfied with the arrival of the forward at a cost that compromises very little in the long term. One of those who spoke about his incorporation was Matt Lloyd, general manager of the Wolves, who assured that they already began conversations with Kuminga in mid-July, but that there were “many more calls” until the day they convinced him to sign with the Wolves at the end of August.

“The opportunity arose to sign Jonathan Kuminga, which was, again, the result of many, many phone calls and a huge investment of time. At one point, my wife asked me, ‘How many times has he called you?’ She meant Kuminga’s agent. ‘How many times have you spoken to him on the phone since mid-July?’ July 15 and the day we signed Jonathan. Anthony Edwards was key in convincing him to come here. We had several conversations with him and his representatives; from Chris Finch and Tim Connelly to Alonzo Gee – who is part of our staff – everything fell into place perfectly,” Lloyd confessed in an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune.

In this way, Minnesota ended up beating other teams such as the LA Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers, who also wanted the player at a similar cost. In the end, Kuminga joined LaMelo Ball as another of the notable additions of the Wolves who have sought to change the team’s structure this summer.