Kuminga's Agent: No $150 Million Warriors Offer Ever Existed, Turned Down Lakers Money for Minnesota

Jonathan Kuminga signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, August 26, ending a free agency saga that dragged through most of the summer. He took two years and $12.4 million, with a player option for 2027-28. That's less than what the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, and Portland Trail Blazers reportedly put on the table.

His agent, Aaron Turner, went on FanDuel's "Run It Back" on August 28 to explain the choice.

The first thing Turner wanted cleared up: the five-year, $150 million extension offer from the Golden State Warriors that's been repeated across NBA media for months never happened.

"There was never an offer from the Warriors for 5 years, 150 million," Turner said, according to Essentially Sports. "That never came on the table. In fact, to take it a step further, the Warriors never made an offer on an extension."

What did happen, per Turner, was informal discussion of a three-year deal worth roughly $75 million. Even that fell apart over control, not cash. The Warriors wanted a team option. Kuminga's camp wanted a player option or more flexibility. They never agreed to terms, according to Essentially Sports and the New York Post.

Kuminga eventually did land a two-year, $48.5 million deal with Golden State last offseason, the deal that's now expired and set up this summer's free agency chase.

Why Minnesota, Not the Money

The Lakers reportedly offered Kuminga more than $12 million annually over three years in a potential sign-and-trade, according to ESPN's Shams Charania as cited by Heavy.com. Los Angeles pitched a starting role next to Luka Doncic. Lakers president Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick met with Kuminga virtually after the Atlanta Hawks declined his $24.3 million team option in June.

Kuminga picked Minnesota anyway. Turner says it wasn't close.

"We sat at the gym this week, and I asked him, what's the best basketball situation?" Turner told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. "He said Minnesota. Well, nothing else matters. Why would you go anywhere else?"

Anthony Edwards led the recruiting pitch, and according to Turner, he didn't sell Kuminga on scoring.

"Ant was super active in the recruitment of him," Turner said. "One thing he did was focus his message on, we're gonna really guard here. Everybody looked at the offensive end. JK and I looked more at the defensive end."

The Timberwolves also lost Julius Randle and Naz Reid in separate trades this offseason, leaving a hole at power forward. Kuminga averaged 20.8 points per game on 54 percent shooting against Minnesota in the 2025 playoffs, a series the Wolves front office brought up repeatedly during the pitch, according to The Athletic.

Beyond Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Jaden McDaniels reached out directly. Team president Tim Connelly flew to Miami for dinner with Kuminga. Controlling owner Alex Rodriguez called to signal ownership support. Coach Chris Finch spoke with him multiple times, emphasizing accountability.

"It was such a solid respect factor from top to bottom," Turner said.

The Steve Kerr Backstory

Kuminga's relationship with Warriors coach Steve Kerr had been strained for years, dating back to disputes over playing time and role. That tension became public before Golden State traded him to Atlanta in February. Edwards, who played under Kerr on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, reportedly discussed that history directly with Kuminga during the recruitment, giving him an outside perspective on what went wrong, according to Hoops Rumors and The Athletic.

Turner called the whole negotiation saga with Golden State "the weirdest negotiation of all time," a reference to Kerr's own public comments about the difficulty of fitting Kuminga into a lineup that already includes Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green.

What the Structure Actually Buys Him

The Timberwolves initially could only offer a $3.6 million veteran's minimum. That changed when the team authorized spending up to the $6 million mid-level exception, according to Hoops Rumors. Turner's existing relationship with Connelly and general manager Matt Lloyd reportedly helped move the deal along once real money was on the table.

The two-year structure with a player option is the key mechanical difference from what Golden State was willing to give him. It puts Kuminga back on the open market in the 2027 offseason, when Turner argues more teams will have cap space to make a real offer.

"Who knows, but the game board is set very, very well for JK for 2027," Turner told the New York Post.

Whether that bet pays off depends entirely on what Kuminga does on the floor in Minnesota this season, playing alongside Edwards, Ball, McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert on a team that was swept by the Lakers in last season's playoffs. The Timberwolves' revamped roster and Kuminga's stated shift toward defensive-first buy-in will get their first real test when the 2026-27 regular season opens.