Josh Green to LA for Knecht and Hardy as Minnesota clears room for Kuminga

Salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, writing for Third Apron, floated Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy going to Minnesota for Josh Green.

The Timberwolves agreed with Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year, $12.4 million deal with a player option, per ESPN, but the team is hard-capped at the second apron and cannot fit his $6.1 million taxpayer midlevel salary without shedding money first, and Green's expiring $14.7 million is the obvious candidate.

Gozlan wrote the swap would keep the Lakers under their first-apron hard cap while trimming their roster from 16 standard contracts to 15. Minnesota's other options are trading Green elsewhere or waiving and stretching him into roughly $4.9 million charges across three years, with Saturday the deadline for that route.

Kuminga chose Minnesota over the Lakers, who could now end up assisting the signing they lost out on.