NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on April 03, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on April 03, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Timberwolves player Jonathan Kuminga apparently sent a text message to Lonzo Ball’s manager and business partner, Darren Moore, who recently appeared on the ‘Ball in the Family’ podcast. Moore read out the text message while explaining the context.
“Let’s talk a little bit about Kuminga. He actually DM’d me, and to clear this out for everyone, I’m going to read it verbatim,” Moore said.
“He said, ‘Gang, I saw the interview, and I never turned down no bread. None of that had ever been offered.’ From the source,” he added.
Just last week during an episode of the ‘Ball in the Family’ podcast, Moore referenced reports that claimed Jonathan Kuminga turned down multiple offers from the Warriors (highest reported offer: three-year, $75.2 million) last summer, and the Lakers (three-year, $36 million) in this free agency before he accepted a two-year, $12.4 million contract with the Timberwolves.
And while the Ball brothers (Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball) were happy about Kuminga joining their brother LaMelo Ball on the Timberwolves, Lonzo still apologized for falling for fake news.
“We apologize for promoting fake news; we don’t do that on this podcast,” Lonzo Ball added.
At his introductory press conference last week, Jonathan Kuminga was asked why he chose the Timberwolves in free agency. Several reporters, assuming the reporting was true, took his response as his reason for choosing the Timberwolves over the Lakers.
“The process was up and down,” said Kuminga in his introductory press conference. “Just looking back, I think I would say it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
“Just looking at the roster, looking at the young group of guys they have and just seeing what they’ve done in the past. I think I fit well with this culture… I think the choice was about trying to win, trying to help them win, and that’s why I made this decision.”
“I prayed over this and asked God to guide me and give me the best decision,” Kuminga added.
“I think this was the best decision for me. I wanted to go to a winning culture, and I think this was one of the best winning cultures I could have chosen out of all the options.”
“As I said earlier, I spoke to so many people on this team, including the front office, coaches, and some of the players, and it was just the vibe I was looking for. I think that made this decision way easier, and I went with it.”
But this seems a bit perplexing, considering Aaron Turner, Jonathan Kuminga’s agent, referred to multiple offers Kuminga received that were valued higher than what he ended up taking with the Timberwolves during his recent appearance on Kevin O’Connor’s podcast.
Turner also said he was pleased about his client’s growth opportunities when the Hawks decided not to pick up Kuminga’s $24 million team option, and suggested he preferred the current situation in Minnesota to that deal.
So there seems to be a degree of a gap in the communication between Jonathan Kuminga and his agent. Because if what Moore is quoting is truly from Kuminga, then the question becomes: why would Kuminga’s agent lie about it? And if it was to increase his client’s market value, why is his client openly refuting it now?
For now, it seems the news that Kuminga received bigger offers than the deal he took with the Timberwolves is false. To me, this may suggest some tension between Kuminga and his agent. It will be interesting to see whether Kuminga listens to NBA veterans and changes representation anytime soon.