Draymond Green may have given former teammate Jonathan Kuminga some serious food for thought after his recent signing to join the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kuminga, 23, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Golden State Warriors, then was traded to the Atlanta Hawks last season before the deadline as part of a deal for Kristaps Porzingis. He became a free agent after the Hawks declined his $24.3 million player option once the season ended.
That opened the door for Kuminga to sign a two-year deal worth reportedly $12.4 million with the Timberwolves. Green pointed out what he believes could be a crucial mistake that could come back to hurt Kuminga later. "Now here's where those things get dicey: when you go to a team on a lower-level salary. … and all of a sudden that starting lineup isn't getting off to great starts, the analytics say this group isn't working that well together, a $6.5 million salary in the NBA is a bench role salary. … so my only worry for J.K. is that if it's not working, you're the first plug that gets pulled," Green said on "The Draymond Green Show." More news: Caitlin Clark, Fever Teammate at Center of Potentially Historic Campaign Green also made an interesting comparison to the NFL's Cleveland Browns, who he said "have to give an opportunity to" quarterback Deshaun Watson, "because of his salary." Watson recently won the starting quarterback job over younger QB Shedeur Sanders, and also has a much higher contract with the Browns.
Meanwhile, Kuminga joins a Timberwolves team that remains among playoff contenders, thanks mainly to elite star Anthony Edwards. Minnesota traded for LaMelo Ball this offseason to seriously boost their backcourt, and also dealt former All-Star Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets. Kuminga will help fill the void that Randle left in the starting lineup, but as Green mentioned, he'll be making basically the same sort of money a bench player would.
Based on Green's criticism, the Timberwolves could decide to move on from Kuminga if their starting lineup falters with him in it. This could become Kuminga's big chance to shine, as his only major starting role occurred back with the Warriors in the 2023-24 season. He started in 46 games but averaged a career-high 16.1 points per game, suggesting that if things work out with the lineup, he could have another strong season with Minnesota.
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