Jonathan Kuminga and the Minnesota Timberwolves have been a match made in heaven to begin this season. The Wolves previously had a huge hole at their power forward position, and Kuminga has joined the team and has immediately been an invaluable part of the starting lineup.

The 24-year-old forward has given the Wolves an ideal combination of rebounding, defense, and scoring that has allowed Minnesota to jump out to an 8-3 record and the NBA's top defense in terms of net rating.

Kuminga's best performance came last week against the Houston Rockets, where he put up 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, including a pair of three-pointers and a tip-in layup that swung the game in the Timberwolves' favor.

Following the game, Kuminga didn't talk about his own numbers or the point total he put up. Instead, he was focused on what aspects of his game could best translate to winning on this Timberwolves roster.

"We have so many people who can put the ball in the hoop. The rest of the jobs—like rebounding, playing hard, defending—it’s right there; why not do it?"

Jonathan Kuminga has been the steal of the offseason

After being traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Atlanta Hawks, who did not offer him a contract to return, Kuminga was left with very few options after his market in free agency completely bottomed out. That is when the Wolves stepped in to give Kuminga a two-year, $12.4 million contract with a player option in the second year.

The deal gave the Timberwolves the starting power forward they were desperate for at a salary number they could afford. Kuminga got the opportunity to play with a winning team and potentially reset his value for another run at free agency in 2027.

Both sides needed the relationship to work out. The Wolves lacked size in their starting lineup, with Trey Lyles as the only true power forward on the entire roster. Kuminga needed a place to prove he could be a winning player with or without the ball in his hands.

So far, the Kuminga in Minnesota experiment has been a success for both sides. The Wolves have a starting lineup that makes sense for the first time in this iteration of the team, and Kuminga seems primed for a big contract this offseason.

At his current salary of just north of $6 million, Kuminga is one of the biggest bargains in all of the NBA, and his teammates have begun to pick up on everything he can bring to the table.

"I’ve been impressed with JK," Jaden McDaniels said of his new teammate. "Before, I didn’t know he could play defense like this. Not saying he couldn’t, but he was always scoring on us. It’s good to see."

Can the Timberwolves bring Kuminga back after this season?

Given how well Kuminga has played, the natural next question has been whether or not the Wolves can retain him. Unfortunately, given the setup of his current deal and the Wolves' salary cap, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for Minnesota to bring back Kuminga on a long-term deal.

Kuminga will almost certainly decline his player option for next season, making him a free agent. Since he only played a single season with the Wolves, the team will not have his Bird Rights, making it much more difficult to re-sign him.

The largest amount the Wolves could offer Kuminga in this scenario is the mid-level exception starting at just over $16 million. If the Wolves were to sign Kuminga to that amount, Minnesota would need to part with either Donte DiVincenzo as a free agent or Rudy Gobert, who has been a pillar of the Wolves' success this season and beyond.

Even if the Wolves were willing to let one of those players go, it would not guarantee the signing of Kuminga, as many teams may be willing to give Kuminga a starting salary greater than $16 million. If the Wolves wanted to open up the financial flexibility to outbid other teams, they would need to offload multiple sizeable contracts from their books.

All of that to say it is very unlikely Kuminga will be back in Minnesota next season. Ironically, the better he plays, the less likely it is for the Timberwolves to re-sign him. Minnesota fans will just need to appreciate the player they have now with this current team, which projects to be one of the best in the history of the organization.