Who is the third-best team in the Western Conference ahead of the upcoming season? That question could be answered when Jonathan Kuminga finally decides who his new team is.
Most would give the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder the benefit of the doubt as the top-two teams in the West. Fair enough. Those are the last two squads to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, and one of them ended up winning the championship.
The second tier of teams vying to position themselves right behind the Spurs and Thunder includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets. It just so happens that two of those teams are in the sweepstakes to land Kuminga.
Both the Lakers and the Timberwolves are looking at the free agent forward as a potential starter at the four. Should Kuminga pick one of the two as his next team, it could elevate either Los Angeles or Minnesota to the status of clear-cut third-best in the Western Conference ahead of the season.
Jonathan Kuminga could firmly push the Lakers over the Timberwolves (and Nuggets)
This is not to overstate the individual player quality of Kuminga. That is not the point here. However, both the Lakers and Wolves have a clear need at forward that could be solved with his addition.
The Timberwolves would currently project to start LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu , Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert. Sliding Dosunmu to the second unit and starting Kuminga instead would give them a much-needed readjustment of their top guys.
For the Lakers, getting any starting-caliber forward can be viewed as an upgrade. As things stand, Los Angeles would be picking between guys like Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, and Adou Thiero to potentially slot in with the group that opens games. There are a lot of unknowns with each of them.
Granted, Kuminga is far from perfect. Parts of him scream Deandre Ayton-like. That should concern the Lakers. However, from a talent perspective, it is tough to argue against him being an upgrade.
Getting Kuminga is just as important as keeping him away from a Western Conference rival here. Not only would the winner of the sweepstakes get an upgrade, but they would keep the direct competition from improving. That is a victory on multiple fronts.
There have been other teams connected in the race to land Kuminga besides for the the Lakers and Timberwolves. The Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers have also been named as potential landing spots by NBA insider Michael Scotto.
However, the Lakers and Timberwolves are best equipped to give Kuminga the consistent playing time that Scotto also noted as a priority during his appearance on the Wilder Wolves Podcast. That should put these two teams at the forefront.
The Nuggets took a step back in the 2025-26 season due to injuries and an overall failure to really keep pace with the best in the West. With the Peyton Watson situation still looming over their heads, it is tough to envision how Denver would improve enough to be better than whichever team ends up with Kuminga between Los Angeles and Minnesota.
The winner of this race could decide who gets to enter the upcoming season, (at the very least) on paper, in that top three with the Spurs and Thunder. Kuminga's decision can propel either the Lakers or Timberwolves forward, leaving the other chasing alternatives.
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