Agent Claiming Jonathan Kuminga Was Hawks’ No. 1 Player Gets Reality Check – “He Was Atrocious”

Jonathan Kuminga played 22 games for the Atlanta Hawks, starting in one regular season battle before leaving the franchise.

Agent Claiming Jonathan Kuminga Was Hawks’ No. 1 Player Gets Reality Check – “He Was Atrocious”

Jonathan Kuminga with the Hawks (Image via Somowolves/X)

After Jonathan Kuminga signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, many had quite a few questions pertaining to his salary, his decision not to sign the bigger contract offer from the Los Angeles Lakers, and his role on his new team.

Players do sign on bargain-basement deals, but not someone who is 23 years old and is essentially fighting to prove his worth. When the forward put pen to paper on a deal that would see him make $6.5 million a year, everyone felt that he was making a huge mistake. He was getting double that from the Lakers, and a chance to be a starter.

Instead, he will have to prove day in and day out that he should be in the Wolves’ starting lineup over rising star Ayo Dosunmu or anyone else. The team has quite a few young players waiting to prove their worth.

But his agent, Aaron Turner, made it clear that his client is betting on himself to earn a fat raise when he is a free agent in 2028. Now, he has another claim to help Kuminga’s cause.

He was their best player from the moment he showed up in terms of winning impact. He had the best on/off net rating in the regular season and in the playoffs. These are facts. These aren’t opinions.

Turner said

The agent reiterated to Kevin O’Connor on Yahoo Sports’ NBA podcast that despite being the best player on the Atlanta Hawks, Jonathan Kuminga wanted to be somewhere where he could play his best basketball. That is the hope with joining the Wolves.

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Fans tear into Jonathan Kuminga’s agent for wild claim

As soon as this clip made its way onto social media, fans did not waste time giving Jonathan Kuminga’s agent a reality check. First, some journalists joined in to throw up statistics to prove that his client was not indeed the best player on the Atlanta Hawks.

Then, fans brought up past negotiations with the Golden State Warriors and how the former seventh-overall pick essentially fumbled a chance to become the team’s future franchise cornerstone.

They also pointed out that maybe listening to this agent is why Kuminga does not have a decent salary credited to his account. Check out examples of those reactions below.

To the agent’s credit, his job is to trumpet his client’s abilities, particularly when fans have not stopped laughing at Jonathan Kuminga for signing the bargain-basement deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

However, there is no denying the fact that the Atlanta Hawks do not agree with Aaron Turner’s claims, as they proved when they declined his client’s $24.3 million option for next season. That was evidence that they did not think Kuminga was worth that much.

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Jonathan Kuminga shows off his football skills

While basketball fans have seen flashes of how good Jonathan Kuminga can be, they are waiting for the time when the 6’7″ forward can show consistently how good he is.

Jonathan Kuminga has elite athleticism
Jonathan Kuminga has elite athleticism (Image via Scott Strazzante/X)

In the meantime, the DR Congo native has been trying to show that he is an elite natural athlete. Despite his country never playing American football, it seems that the newest member of the Minnesota Timberwolves believes he can play for the state’s NFL franchise, the Minnesota Vikings if need be.

He posted a video on his Instagram where he starts a route, and using some shifty moves, breaks into a slant route to catch the ball. This video has gone viral, as it shows how he could possibly adapt and play in the NFL if needed.

The league does love its super tall receivers. That is also why many believe that NBA players should give it a chance with their length advantage, and glue-like hands. Kuminga could pivot to this sport if the next two years with the Wolves does not pan out as he intended.

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