The Timberwolves wasted no time making their pitch once free agency opened Tuesday, reaching out to LeBron James to express interest in signing the star forward, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Minnesota’s interest had already surfaced earlier in the day through Krawczynski’s colleague Sam Amick, but team and league sources told Krawczynski the Wolves do not expect to sit near the top of James’ list of preferred landing spots. The financial picture is part of the challenge. The team has limited flexibility below a second-apron hard cap, and even with James sounding ready to play outside Southern California, Minneapolis could be a difficult sell.
That said, the Wolves believe they can sell him on the basketball side if chasing a fifth championship matters most. Minnesota could offer a strong backcourt with Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and Ayo Dosunmu, plus defensive anchors in Rudy Gobert at center and Jaden McDaniels on the wing. The problem is at power forward, where the roster is expected to have a clear opening after the team dealt both Julius Randle and Naz Reid.
One possible way for Minnesota to create more room would be moving Josh Green and his $14.7MM expiring contract. Krawczynski wrote that such a move could help the Wolves get under the second apron enough to chase James or another power forward. For now, though, the team is said to be “intrigued” by Green, and sources told The Athletic nothing was moving on that front as of Tuesday.
Elsewhere on the market, Quentin Grimes will not be heading back to Philadelphia. Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that the unrestricted free agent guard won’t return to the Sixers after spending the last season-and-a-half there.
That fits with earlier reporting that had the Lakers as the clear frontrunner for his services. Grimes played the 2025/26 season on his qualifying offer after he and the 76ers failed to work out a longer-term deal last offseason, and he settled into a bench role while putting up 13.4 points and 3.3 assists per game with a career-low .334 3PT%.
Nuggets forward Spencer Jones appears poised to cash in after betting on himself. In a LinkedIn post, Jones said he was offered a multiyear deal during the season that would have paid about $2MM per year in guaranteed money, but he passed on it in favor of a rest-of-season contract.
He is now negotiating a new deal worth “more than double” that original offer, according to DNVR’s Harrison Wind. Jones remains a restricted free agent after Denver issued him a $2.65MM qualifying offer.
The Bulls, meanwhile, continue to look around for help on the wing. A source told Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday that Chicago has interest in free agent guard Norman Powell.
Cowley also reported that the Bulls have spoken with the Cavaliers about a possible trade, and he speculated that Illinois native Max Strus could be on Chicago’s radar. Cleveland has reportedly explored deals involving Strus and his expiring $16.7MM contract, though the Cavaliers may be less eager to move him after losing Dean Wade and Keon Ellis in free agency.
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Jalen Smith Just Got A Surprising Lifeline In Chicago
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The bigger takeaway for the Bulls is that Smiths chances of sticking as a backup center appear to have improved for 2026-27. He still has plenty to prove before that becomes reality, but a narrower pool of outside options gives Chicago more reason to see whether he can settle into the role it has had trouble defining. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Already Gave Up On One New Guard For A Reason
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Jones arrived as the 38th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but the Bulls moved on before his first training camp with the team could even take shape. For Chicago, the decision was about keeping flexibility as the roster picture continues to settle, and it leaves another open spot as the front office sorts through what comes next. [Read more 🡒]