Jonathan Kuminga, the last real free agent remaining, has officially joined the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two-year, 13-million-dollar deal. This move, and Bennedict Mathurin's move to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, likely cap off an offseason that saw major movement.
For the Timberwolves, adding any amount of power forward talent is an obvious win. Doing so for an admittedly flawed player who is not even 26 and has immense potential at only six million dollars a year is a near home run. The Wolves have quietly gone from an aging core of players around Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels to one that is young, fast, and exciting without losing the optimism for a top seed and playoff success.
Kuminga, for his part, likely sees what LaMelo Ball did for a forward with similar measurables in Miles Bridges and wants the same opportunity to cash in on a team that badly needs him to produce at a high level.
This is a match made in heaven for both player and team, and although the Indiana Pacers could've offered many of the same bullet points that brought Kuminga to the Wolves, they did not have the opportunity for a starting spot that Minnesota did.
The most notable free agents remaining are Brandon Williams and Jalen Duren, who will likely return to the Detroit Pistons after a drawn-out restricted free agency battle. The summer is coming to a close.
It's time to get ready for real basketball.
Indiana's moves are minimal, but not at all marginal
The Pacers came into the offseason with very few avenues to change just about anything about their roster. The second they lost their draft pick to the LA Clippers as part of the previously agreed-upon Ivica Zubac trade, it was clear their summer would be a quiet one.
They signed Kelly Oubre Jr., who figures to factor into the bench unit and the overall wing rotation, as their primary target. The 30-year-old forward has spent the past few years on the rival Philadelphia 76ers, punishing the rim on a night-to-night basis.
Indiana also brought in Larry Nance Jr. The small-ball five may very well be completely washed, after seasons with Cleveland and Atlanta saw him fall further and further from relevancy. At this point in his career, if he's playing, it's probably a bad sign for your team's chances.
Their final set of moves attacked the forever underappreciated two-way roster spots. They cut Taelon Peter to open up a way to return summer league standout Jalen Slawson, and then saw Ethan Thompson abandon his NBA dreams to move to a Serbian team. That opened up the Pacers to retain their recent second-round-pick Braden Smith.
Going into the season, Indiana has arguably the most well-rounded starting lineup with real depth problems. However, after a year that went from bad to worse, eventually ending in a 19-win season, fans will clearly take depth problems if it means returning to watching winning basketball.
Indiana opens their season against Bennedict Mathurin and the New Orleans Pelicans on October 21st.
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