The Timberwolves have already made the splash they’ve been chasing, but there may still be one more move sitting in plain sight.
With LaMelo Ball now in the mix, Minnesota’s attention has shifted to the rest of the roster, and Josh Green has become one of the few trade pieces left to work with. That has opened the door to a possible deal for a player Wolves fans know well: Jarred Vanderbilt.
Minnesota has needed another forward, and while Trey Lyles was signed to a one-year deal, the frontcourt still looks like an area that could use more help. A Green-for-Vanderbilt swap would be clean enough to work as a one-for-one trade if both sides were interested, with no extra pieces required.
Vanderbilt would hardly be a stranger to the fan base. He spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons with the Timberwolves, and he also appeared in two games for them in 2019-20. The 27-year-old power forward has spent the last three full seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he averaged 4.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game in 2025-26.
His role in Los Angeles has already shrunk. Vanderbilt was basically removed from the Lakers’ playoff rotation, logging just nine total minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. Even so, his value is clear on the defensive end.
The Lakers’ additions of Walker Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili appear to have pushed Vanderbilt further down the depth chart, which is part of what makes him a possible target. Green, meanwhile, could fit into Los Angeles’ rotation, especially if rookie Cameron Carr is not ready for minutes to open the season.
There’s also a familiar face on the Wolves’ bench who already knows what Vanderbilt can bring. Chris Finch had him starting at power forward for Minnesota in the 2022 opening-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The one wrinkle is contractual. Green has only one year left on his deal, while Vanderbilt carries a $13.26 million player option for 2027-28, a number that would almost certainly be picked up unless he has a career year in 2026-27.
For now, Minnesota may have to wait until LeBron makes his decision before anything else happens. But if the Timberwolves want another forward, Vanderbilt is a name worth keeping close.
In Other News...
Jaden McDaniels Buzz Suddenly Feels Bigger For The Timberwolves
Jaden McDaniels spent last season showing more of the offensive game Minnesota has long hoped would arrive, and it came at a time when the Timberwolves were still sorting out what his ceiling might look like. He put together a career-best year at the scoring end, with better efficiency across the board, and that has only added to the sense inside the organization that his next step could be a meaningful one.
The bigger question now is how that growth fits into a reshaped rotation. McDaniels had briefly looked like a possible second scoring option after Julius Randle was traded, but the addition of LaMelo Ball changes the picture again and gives Minnesota a different kind of lead guard to work with. James White and Tim Connelly have both sounded encouraged about where McDaniels is headed, and the Timberwolves seem to believe the real test is no longer whether he can handle more, but how much more they can ask of him. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Are Testing A Frontcourt Look Fans Havent Forgotten
The Timberwolves are giving a familiar-looking frontcourt experiment a summer showcase, planning to run Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky together as a double-big look in summer league. Both are second-year players from the 2025 draft class, with Beringer going 17th overall and Zikarsky coming off the board at 45th, and the team wants a closer read on how their size can work in tandem rather than just in theory.
There is a reason this pairing has caught attention beyond July games. Zikarsky brings enough offensive range to at least open the door to a frontcourt fit that echoes the kind of spacing-and-size balance Minnesota has chased before, while Beringers comfort shifting to the four gives the Wolves another way to test the idea. Even so, this is still more of an evaluation than a preview of the regular season, where the club is unlikely to lean on the look heavily. [Read more 🡒]
One Quote Just Raised A Painful Question About The Wolves' Gamble
Micah Noris move from the Timberwolves to the Portland Trail Blazers already made him an interesting link between two franchises, but a recent comment from Jrue Holiday gave that connection a sharper edge. Holidays view of what Minnesota has been building only adds to the sense that the Wolves are operating with real expectations now, especially after making a major swing to install LaMelo Ball as their starting point guard.
The gamble is obvious from a roster-construction standpoint: Ball brings offense and a different kind of playmaking, but the fit next to Anthony Edwards has to work on both ends for Minnesotas ceiling to stay where it wants it. For a team that has leaned on its defensive identity, the concern is whether adding Ball helps push the Wolves forward or asks them to give up too much of what made them dangerous in the first place. [Read more 🡒]