For the second summer in a row, Jonathan Kuminga has appeared among the most intriguing offseason stories.
Kuminga, after a lengthy saga, went on to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he will be joining Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and the rest of the squad this upcoming season.
The 23-year-old forward was on many teams' radars this summer, with one of those teams being the Chicago Bulls.
Bulls were unwilling to offer Kuminga a starting role
According to The Athletic's Joel Lorenzi, the Bulls expressed definite interest in Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, although one major thing disrupted the potential signing.
The Bulls reportedly were unwilling to offer Kuminga a starting or other prominent role on their roster, instead focusing on their own young forward duo of Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson.
"Bulls lead executive Bryson Graham was part of the Atlanta Hawks front office that traded for Kuminga last season, and a reunion was welcomed in Chicago with the understanding Kuminga wouldn't displace the prioritized chips in the rebuild," Lorenzi reported.
Jonathan Kuminga could return or leave Timberwolves next season
Jonathan Kuminga signed a two-year, $13 million deal to join the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason.
The second season is a $6.3 million player option.
Considering the structure of the deal, Kuminga has a chance to either enter free agency again next year or put himself in a position to return to Minnesota and run it back for the 2026-27 NBA season.
As such, it all depends on how the upcoming season goes for him and Minnesota, as expectations are high for him to perform as the team's newest marquee wing to play with Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert, and Jaden McDaniels.