Minnesota Timberwolves' Power Forward Solution: Jonathan Kuminga

The Minnesota Timberwolves think they’ve solved their power forward problem with Jonathan Kuminga.

Draymond Green isn’t so sure it will be that simple.

On his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, the four-time champion applauded Kuminga for taking a two-year, $12.4 million deal in Minnesota, calling it a “great opportunity” for the former Golden State teammate he’s backed for years. Then he cut straight to the risk.

“My only worry for JK is that if it’s not working, you’re the first plug that gets pulled,” Green said.

In other words: the contract that got Kuminga in the door might be the same one that pushes him out of the starting lineup.

A Starter on a Bench Salary

Minnesota is handing Kuminga a prime platform. He’s penciled in as the starting power forward next to LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on a team that has gone all-in on its core.

He’ll also be the bargain of that group by a mile.

Kuminga will earn roughly $6 million this season. That’s well below the money going to the rest of the starting five and even trails some of Chris Finch’s expected reserves.

Green’s concern has nothing to do with Kuminga’s ability. He’s seen the talent up close. This is about the cold math of NBA decision-making.

“A $6.5 million salary in the NBA is a bench-role salary,” Green said.

Teams don’t bench max players easily. They don’t quickly demote guys on big, long-term deals. The higher the salary, the longer the leash. Players in Kuminga’s range rarely get the same patience if a lineup sputters.

Minnesota’s roster only sharpens that point.

Ayo Dosunmu just signed a five-year, $112 million contract after transforming the Wolves’ backcourt when he arrived from Chicago in February. He averaged 14.8 points last season and dropped a 43-point playoff masterpiece on Denver, the kind of performance that gets front offices to open the vault.

Now, with Kuminga stepping into the starting four spot, Dosunmu projects as a sixth man — despite a $22.4 million average annual salary, more than three times what Kuminga will make this year.

Finch isn’t about to sit in his office and script rotations strictly by salary slot. But Green’s point isn’t about the coach’s whiteboard. It’s about where the franchise has tied up its money and, by extension, its pride.

If something has to change, the cheapest starter usually gets moved first.

High Stakes for a Short Deal

For Kuminga, that reality cuts deeper than just opening-night status.

His contract includes a player option for 2027-28. If he strings together the season the Wolves are hoping for, he can walk away next summer and finally chase the long-term payday that never materialized in Golden State.

That makes this year more than a fresh start. It’s a platform audition in front of the entire league.

Stay in the starting lineup, produce, and he becomes one of the most attractive young forwards on the market. Lose that role, and the narrative shifts quickly: talented, intriguing, but still unproven in a big job.

That’s the leverage battle Green is flagging. Minnesota has little financial obligation to keep Kuminga in a prominent role if the starting group stalls. Edwards, Ball, Gobert, McDaniels, Dosunmu — that’s where the money and the long-term bets sit.

Kuminga is the swing piece. And the easiest one to move.

Why Minnesota Bet on Kuminga

None of this means Green dislikes the move. The opposite. He’s been one of Kuminga’s loudest advocates inside the Warriors’ locker room and still sees Minnesota as exactly what the 21-year-old needed.

Kuminga had to stop replaying the money he didn’t get and find a place that would let him reset his value. The Wolves, retooling after trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid in an aggressive offseason shuffle, had a glaring hole at power forward and a desire to get younger and more explosive around Edwards and Ball.

Kuminga checks those boxes. He’s a rangy, violent athlete who can run the floor with Ball, finish above the rim and, when locked in, guard multiple positions. Minnesota has already seen what that looks like when he’s given the ball and the minutes.

When Stephen Curry went down during Golden State’s 2025 playoff series against the Wolves, Kuminga stepped into a bigger offensive role and punished Minnesota. He averaged 20.8 points on 54% shooting in that series, flashing the blend of scoring and efficiency that front offices dream on.

Green believes that stretch stuck with Wolves president Tim Connelly — and with Edwards, who had to deal with Kuminga on the other side.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for JK,” Green said.

Minnesota clearly agrees. At roughly $6 million this season, the upside is enormous if Kuminga finally turns those flashes into a nightly standard.

But that’s the edge of the blade. His contract makes him one of the league’s most intriguing value plays and, at the same time, the most disposable starter in a lineup loaded with expensive commitments.

If the experiment takes off, he rewrites his market and the Wolves steal a season of high-level production at a cut rate.

If it doesn’t, he may be the first name off the board — and the next young talent hunting for a new team to believe in him.