Jonathan Kuminga throws shade at the Lakers by not saying they have a winning culture

One of the longest sagas in the 2026 offseason involved Jonathan Kuminga. Since he was not headed back to the Atlanta Hawks, plenty of teams were looking to sign him to a long-term contract to help them. He ended up joining the Minnesota Timberwolves to play alongside the likes of LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards.

In the process, he refused the offer from the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the teams that was chasing him. In fact, the Lakers really wanted to sign him, so they made a bigger offer than the Timberwolves, but it seems Kuminga truly prefers going to Minnesota and not L.A.

Jonathan Kuminga throws some veiled shots at the Lakers 

Kuminga has become a polarizing player over the years. He was a mainstay on the Golden State Warriors team, and while there were always trade rumors floating around, he did show that he had the potential to be a difference-maker. 

Of course, head coach Steve Kerr might have had some problems fitting Kuminga into his system. Now, it seems the task is on Chris Finch to do it with the Timberwolves, where it seems Kuminga is being handed a spot in the starting lineup.

MORE: Anthony Edwards sends a message to the rest of the NBA with Jonathan Kuminga

The same thing could have happened with the Lakers, but it seems Kuminga himself vetoed the decision to join that team. In fact, he even threw some shade at the Lakers during his introductory press conference with the Timberwolves.

"I asked God to give me the best decision, and I think this was the best decision for me. I just wanted to go to like a winning culture, and I think this was one of the best winning cultures I could've chosen out of all the options," Kuminga said about joining the Timberwolves in the offseason.

This has irked a lot of Lakers fans because they believe that they have the best winning culture out of all the teams that were involved in recruiting him. It is fair for them to feel some type of way, but it seems that Kuminga just believes more in the Timberwolves project compared to what the Lakers have nowadays.

More NBA news:

• Jonathan Kuminga throws some shots at former teammate Stephen Curry as well
• Anthony Edwards speaks on the toughest places to play in the league
• Peyton Watson reveals why Anthony Edwards is such a tough matchup
• Jonathan Kuminga's agent reveals the one-year plan they have with the Timberwolves
• Jonathan Kuminga knows he will work hard to thrive in his role on the Timberwolves