Jonathan Kuminga's agent Aaron Turner was quick to point out on Friday that his client has never entered training camp with a solidified starting role, having shared an oft-discussed relationship with Steve Kerr during his nearly nearly five seasons at the Golden State Warriors.
That's already changed at the Minnesota Timberwolves, with head coach Chris Finch seemingly promising a starting role to Kuminga after the young forward agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million contract with the franchise earlier in the week.
Timberwolves waste no time giving Kuminga what Warriors never did
Kuminga started in 97 of his 278 games with the Warriors, but will be a starter from day one at the Timberwolves according to his agent who gave a revealing interview to Chandler Parsons on Fanduel TV's Run It Back.
This was clearly the biggest appeal for Kuminga who turned down bigger offers elsewhere, including from the Los Angeles Lakers who could have also offered a starting role. Minnesota traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid earlier in the offseason, opening up a hole at power forward which Kuminga will now fill in a starting lineup consisting of he, LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert.
Jonathan Kuminga will be starting at the 4 this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves, says his agent, Aaron Turner 👀
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) August 28, 2026
"Melo, Ant, Jaden, JK, Rudy... Chris Finch did a great job of explaining the role that he envisions."@ChandlerParsons | @arockturner20 pic.twitter.com/sp46U4kMhJ
That's not to say Kuminga will be a closer for Finch, or that he remains a starter as the season progresses. Ayo Dosunmu was huge for Minnesota before his injury in the playoffs, prompting the front office to re-sign the 26-year-old on a five-year, $112 million contract. It now appears Dosunmu will be in a sixth man role despite the contrast in salaries between he and Kuminga.
Kuminga was a starter for Kerr to open last season, bouncing out of the gates with an impressive 17-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. The starting role was a slight surprise after Kuminga's restricted free agency last summer, and only lasted 12 games before he was promptly removed by Kerr.
Timberwolves taking a risk by promising Kuminga a starting role
What happens if or when Kuminga is no longer the best option and he's removed from the starting lineup? How will he and Turner react if what's been said during the recruiting pitch results as a false promise?
That's the risk the Timberwolves are taking by declaring (indirectly through Turner) that Kuminga will be a starter after he came off the bench for the majority of his Warrior career, and for all but one game during his brief tenure at the Atlanta Hawks.
Minnesota will view it as a worthy risk given Kuminga will only be making the taxpayer mid-level exception, but there's no guarantee it works in a way they and Kuminga are currently envisioning ahead of training camp.
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