Why Josh Green Is Key to Wolves Signing Jonathan Kuminga

The Minnesota Timberwolves have finally filled their void at power forward. On Monday, the Wolves signed Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year $12.4 million contract. Kuminga will immediately slide into Minnesota's starting lineup and provide a needed combination of size and athleticism.

Kuminga potentially had other, more lucrative offers available to him, but ended up choosing the Wolves because of the starting role and large amount of playing time available. That, combined with the opportunity to play a key role on a winning team, gives Kuminga the best chance to reset his market and sign a larger contract next offseason.

For the Timberwolves, Kuminga provides a level of talent that would not have been available to them otherwise. There are certainly potential downsides to Kuminga as a player, but given the price to acquire him and the lack of a power forward previously on the roster, this move makes a lot of sense for Minnesota.

Before the deal becomes official, though, the Wolves will need to do some financial maneuvering. Kuminga's contract would push the Wolves above the NBA's second apron, which the Wolves are, by rule, not allowed to surpass. This means the Timberwolves will need to shed salary before officially signing Kuminga—and that's where new arrival Josh Green comes in.

Minnesota Timberwolves Salary Cap Sheet | Ryan Eichten

Josh Green trade or release is Wolves' logical next move after Kuminga deal

The best way for the Timberwolves to get back under the second apron is by utilizing Josh Green and his $14.7 million contract. Green came to the Wolves as part of the Naz Reid for LaMelo Ball trade, as the Charlotte Hornets were looking to move on from Green's sizable salary.

While the Timberwolves shouldn't view Green as just a throw-in to the trade for Ball, it would make sense for them to move on from him if it means facilitating Kuminga's addition to the team.

The first option would be the Wolves trading Green. The problem is that the Timberwolves will need to incentivize another team to take on Green's contract, and they are all out of draft capital. Minnesota does have a solid number of player assets, but they are not allowed to combine Green's salary with another player in a trade until mid-September.

The Wolves could look to trade Green's expiring deal with a player who makes less this season but has an extra year or two on their contract. An example of this would be trading Green to the Los Angeles Lakers for Jarred Vanderbilt. The Lakers could value Green's expiring contract in exchange for Vanderbilt, who has a $13.2 million player option next season that he is likely to accept.

The issue with that, from a Timberwolves perspective, is that it potentially puts a large amount of money on next year's salary cap sheet when the Wolves will need to re-sign Donte DiVicenzo and potentially Rudy Gobert.

That leaves the final and most likely option, which is that the Wolves will waive-and-stretch Green's contract. This means the Timberwolves can remove Green's $14.7 million contract and spread it out evenly over the next three seasons, lowering the team's total salaries by nearly $10 million for 2026-27.

If the Wolves did decide to waive Green in this manner, they would leave themselves about $7.7 million below their second apron hard cap with two open roster spots, which could be used to sign veteran minimum contracts to further add depth to the roster.

Minnesota Timberwolves Projected Salary Cap | Ryan Eichten

While having money on the salary cap sheet for a player no longer on the team is less than ideal, it is likely the best way for the Timberwolves to sign Kuminga while keeping players like Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark out of trade discussions.

The nearly $4.9 million is also not a very large salary in today's NBA. This season, that amount represents just 2.97 percent of the salary cap, 2.44 percent of the luxury tax threshold, and 2.21 percent of the second apron.

The three years of dead money also coincide with the contracts of Edwards, Ball, and Jaden McDaniels, whose deals all expire after the 2028-29 season. This means that at the same time the Wolves roster gets more expensive, their financial obligation to Green will end.

Removing Green's salary from their books is the final piece to this Timberwolves offseason puzzle. While a trade would be preferred to dead money on the spreadsheet, waiving Green appears to be the best way for the Wolves to finalize one of the craziest summers in franchise history.

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