94 Calls, Jonathan Kuminga's Agent & Wolves GM's Talks Revealed in New Video After Surprise Contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves' two-year contract with Jonathan Kuminga was apparently the product of five weeks of extensive negotiating.

Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd conducted 94 phone calls with Kuminga's agent between July 15 and Aug. 26, he told the Minnesota Star-Tribune 's Michael Rand around the 18:10 mark of Friday's episode of the StribSports Daily Delivery podcast.

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Talks with Kuminga involved Anthony Edwards as well as other members of the team's front office, Lloyd said.

"Anthony was really instrumental in recruiting him to come here," Lloyd said. "We had had several conversations with him, his representatives, from [head coach] Chris Finch, to [president of basketball operations] Tim Connelly, to [basketball operations assistant] Alonzo Gee... everything just kind of came together."

Kuminga agreed to join the Timberwolves on a two-year, $13 million contract with a player option despite reportedly receiving a more lucrative offer from at least one other team.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers also made contract offers to Kuminga, according to ESPN's Shams Charania . The Lakers' offer was a three-year deal worth more than $12 million per year, per Charania.

Kuminga instead decided to accept "a shorter-term deal and an ability to have more control of his future," Charania noted.

The 23-year-old forward averaged 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 36 games of a 2025-26 season split between the Golden State Warriors, where he was moved in and out of the rotation before suffering a knee and ankle injury in January, and Atlanta Hawks.

Should he increase his production during a healthier season with potentially more regular playing time in the Wolves's second unit, Kuminga could decide to test free agency again next offseason.