With under four weeks until the first training camps of the 2026-27 NBA season open, a couple of free agent dominoes fell Wednesday as two players who were traded last season and were arguably the most coveted free agents still on the market landed deals with new teams.
Bennedict Mathurin, who was traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Los Angeles Clippers last season, signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. Just hours later, Jonathan Kuminga, who was traded last year from the Golden State Warriors to the Atlanta Hawks, landed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both deals include a player option for the second year, so Mathurin and Kuminga could find themselves on the market again next offseason.
The well-traveled Mathurin, 24, was born in Montreal, went to high school in Mexico, attended college at Arizona, began his pro career in Indiana, and finished last year in Los Angeles. He started the season with the Pacers but was part of the trade that sent center Ivica Zubac from L.A. to Indiana. Mathurin was remarkably consistent in both locations, averaging 17.8 points over 28 games with the Pacers, then putting up 17.4 points over 26 games with the Clippers.
While the Clippers had plans on retaining his services, considering that they gave up a high-quality player in Zubac to acquire him, the two sides never came to an agreement while Mathurin was a restricted free agent. The Pelicans swooped in and had Los Angeles withdraw its qualifying offer on Mathurin, thus making him an unrestricted free agent. Also, after the Clippers acquired wings Max Strus, Brandon Ingram, and Gradey Dick, while re-signing Bradley Beal, there simply wasn’t roster space to have Mathurin return.
For his career, Mathurin has averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He was pivotal in Indiana’s run to the 2025 NBA Finals, where the Pacers lost in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Mathurin led all players in Game 3 with 27 points. A 2022-23 All-Rookie Team selection, Mathurin was an All-American and the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2022.
As for Kuminga, he turns 24 in October and also should easily adjust to a new home, considering his background. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuminga moved to the United States to attend high school, which he did at three different schools in three different states. He then bypassed college to join the G-League Ignite before being drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2021.
After four-and-a-half seasons in The Bay, Kuminga was part of the Kristaps Porzingis transaction, which resulted in the former being sent to the Atlanta Hawks in February 2026. He averaged 12.1 points over 20 games with the Warriors, then 12.3 points across 16 games with the Hawks. After the season, the Hawks declined his $24.3 million player option, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Over his five NBA seasons, Kuminga has put up 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and knocked down 50.2 percent of his field goal attempts. He made history in his rookie season of 2021-22, which ended with the Warriors winning the NBA championship. First, the then-19-year-old Kuminga became the youngest player in league history to start a playoff game. Then, when the Warriors won the title, Kuminga became the second-youngest player to win a championship, behind only Darko Milicic of the 2004 Detroit Pistons.
Kuminga is leaving one playoff team for another, and his signing is one of many changes for the Timberwolves. Earlier in the offseason, they traded away forwards Julius Randle and Naz Reid in a deal that landed them guard LaMelo Ball. With those departures, there was a glaring need for a frontcourt player in Minnesota, and Kuminga can help fill that void.
Mathurin is also moving to a similar situation, only he’s leaving one rebuilding team, the Clippers, for another, the Pelicans, who have seemingly been in a rebuild for years. His path to playing time is less clear than Kuminga’s, as New Orleans already boasts wings Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, and Jordan Poole.
The signings of Mathurin and Kuminga leave just one player who averaged more than 8.1 points last season still unsigned.
That player is Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons, who had a breakout year in 2025-26, making his first All-Star Game, being named All-NBA, and helping the Pistons to the best record in the Eastern Conference. Duren has been at an impasse with Detroit over contract terms, but as a restricted free agent, the Pistons have the right of first refusal if another team offers Duren a contract, as he’s expected to eventually return to Detroit.
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