The Timberwolves have a clear need at the back end of their roster, and it comes down to two things: size and voice.
Minnesota is optimistic about what Joan Beringer can become, but the second-year big man is still expected to grow into the job. The Wolves saw enough from him in limited action last season to believe he deserves a bigger runway, and that runway opened up after the team traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid to acquire LaMelo Ball in June.
Even with last week’s additions of Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year, $12.4 million deal and Cody Williams in a trade that sent Josh Green to the Utah Jazz, the Timberwolves still enter the 2026-27 season with Beringer as their only true backup to Rudy Gobert. That leaves Chris Finch exposed if Beringer gets into foul trouble, and it also raises a bigger concern: what happens if Gobert misses time?
Minnesota has roughly $4 million in room below the second apron and one open roster spot after those moves, which gives Tim Connelly the flexibility to add another veteran on a minimum deal. If Trey Kaufman-Renn, the Wolves’ 59th overall pick, is successful in his motion to return to college for a sixth year, the final spot would almost certainly need to be filled from outside the organization. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski framed the idea this way:
I suspect the Wolves will look to add another veteran who, at minimum, can be a real locker room presence while helping on the floor in spot duty if needed.
So who fits? Five names stand out.
Kevin Love is the sentimental one, and maybe the most talked-about one among fans. Minnesota’s fifth overall pick in 2008 would bring the kind of small-ball five ability the roster could use, especially after last season in Utah, when he averaged 5.4 shot attempts and took 3.8 threes per game, making 37.3% of them.
He still rebounds well, and he would also bring championship experience and a respected presence in the room. A return for his 19th season, and a finish as a Timberwolf, would be a fitting ending.
Mason Plumlee makes sense in a different way. Tim Connelly has history with him from Denver, where he traded Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick for Plumlee and a second-rounder in 2017.
Plumlee then spent most of four seasons with the Nuggets while Connelly was in the front office. He has also shared locker rooms with Will Barton, Bones Hyland, and LaMelo.
Last season, he appeared in only 20 games between the Charlotte Hornets and Spurs, but he would still give Finch a center option who can be trusted in an emergency and bring accountability to the group.
Bismack Biyombo is another veteran who would check multiple boxes. Last season with the Spurs, he played just 5.6 minutes per game across 25 contests and filled a Joe Ingles-type role as a vocal locker room leader.
That matters for a Minnesota team that lost veteran voices this summer with Ingles, Mike Conley, and Kyle Anderson all gone. Biyombo can still help in short stretches, too.
Two seasons ago, he averaged 18.9 minutes over 28 games for San Antonio and posted 5.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 58.8% from the field. Still, he looks better as a voice and a spot contributor than someone you want leaned on for long stretches.
Kelly Olynyk offers more on-court utility than most of the names on this list. Last season with the Spurs, he averaged 3.2 points in 8.6 minutes over 42 games, but two years ago he was much more involved, putting up 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 20.3 minutes across 44 games with the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans.
He shot 50% from the floor and 41.8% from three in that stretch. For Minnesota, that kind of stretch-the-floor big would fit neatly alongside the starters while still giving the team a dependable rebounder and defender.
Drew Eubanks rounds out the group as the energetic, physical option. He played 42 games last season for the Sacramento Kings and scored in double figures eight times, including a 19-point outing against the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 11, when he went 8 of 9 from the floor.
He is not a true rim protector, but he plays with force around the basket, rebounds well, and gives a team a live-wire pick-and-roll big who runs the floor. If the Wolves want to play faster, his athleticism would fit that style.
He’s also been a player Minnesota has had reason to consider all offseason.
The Wolves do not need a star with this final spot. They need someone who can survive in the paint, steady the room, and hold up in short bursts when called upon. That is the assignment.
In Other News...
Wolves GM Just Raised Big Questions About Two Core Decisions
Matt Lloyds latest comments offered a fairly clear snapshot of how Minnesota is trying to balance the present with the future. The Timberwolves GM talked up the arrival of forward Cody Williams as a player whose defensive versatility could fit multiple lineups, and he also addressed the signing of Jonathan Kuminga while touching on LaMelo Balls work ethic since joining the team and Ayo Dosunmus expected role in the rotation. Along the way, Lloyd also praised Anthony Edwards growth as a leader, a reminder that the Wolves are still trying to build around their young centerpiece even as they keep adding pieces around him.
The bigger long-range questions, though, remain tied to the rosters veteran core and one injured wing whose path back is still uncertain. Lloyd discussed Donte DiVincenzos rehabilitation from a torn Achilles and the teams approach to extensions for DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, leaving the timing of those decisions very much open. For a Wolves team trying to stay competitive without boxing itself in, those calls could shape not just this season, but the one after it as well. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Face One Huge Rotation Question In Their New-Look Lineup
The Timberwolves reshaped roster has pushed Chris Finch into one of the more interesting lineup puzzles of the offseason. After trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid for LaMelo Ball and adding Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year contract, Minnesota suddenly has a different kind of top-end talent mix, and the early question is how all the pieces fit without disrupting the balance that made the group work.
Kumingas willingness to embrace a complementary role could make that transition easier, but the bigger challenge may be finding the right rhythm for Ball in a system that will need both creativity and structure. Finch now has to decide how to keep the offense flowing, manage the workload of his new point guard and still leave enough room for Anthony Edwards to stay at the center of the teams identity. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Just Made A Cap Bet On One Young Roster Holdover
The Timberwolves have spent the offseason trying to thread a very specific financial needle, and it led them to clear room below the second apron by moving Josh Green to the Jazz and waiving and stretching John Konchars contract. Those moves opened the door to sign Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million deal while also keeping Cody Williams in the fold, a reminder that every roster decision now comes with a cap-side consequence.
Williams is the younger holdover Minnesota chose to protect as it sorted through the back end of the roster, even if the choice came with dead money spread across the next three years. The appeal is straightforward enough for a team that values flexibility on defense: Williams gives the Wolves a more useful long-term piece than Konchar, and the front office made its bet accordingly while accepting a short-term hit to preserve that option. [Read more 🡒]