The Minnesota Timberwolves took another hit from the San Antonio Spurs on day two of free agency, and this one came in the form of Tobias Harris.
San Antonio signed the veteran power forward to a two-year, $31 million deal, a move that immediately checks a major box for the Spurs and removes another possible option from Minnesota’s board. The Wolves need help at power forward, and Harris had been the kind of fit they could have used.
It’s not a stunning move in the abstract. Minnesota only has the veteran minimum to work with, so landing Harris was never a realistic path for them.
The Spurs, on the other hand, had the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and a clear need for more size in the frontcourt next to Victor Wembanyama. That made them the natural team to push for Harris.
Even so, the signing lands hard for the Wolves because of who took him off the market. San Antonio already looms as a major problem for Minnesota, and now it has added another veteran forward who strengthens a roster that was already built to contend.
The Spurs’ depth was exposed in the NBA Finals, especially on the wing and at forward. Harris gives them a sturdier answer there, basically serving as a higher-end version of Harrison Barnes. That should make their forward rotation and overall depth look a lot cleaner.
Minnesota, meanwhile, still has work to do. The Spurs beat the Timberwolves in six games, and three of those wins came by 20 points or more. LaMelo Ball gives the Wolves a way to close some of the gap, but their frontcourt remains a clear concern.
The pool of realistic power forward targets is getting thinner, too. Kenrich Williams and Marvin Bagley appear to be minimum-level possibilities, though both could still find better offers elsewhere.
There are still paths for Minnesota to explore. The trade market for Josh Green, potentially including Terrence Shannon Jr., is one route. Another is using the waive-and-stretch provision on Green to open up a little more cap room.
However they handle it, the message from San Antonio is clear: the Wolves need to move fast. The Spurs just made the Western Conference even tougher, and Minnesota’s search for a power forward got a lot more urgent.
In Other News...
Mavericks Move May Have Just Opened Minnesotas Power Forward Door
Dallas decision to bring in Santi Aldama may have done more than add another frontcourt piece. It also nudged the Mavericks a little closer to a conversation that matters for Minnesota, where the Timberwolves are still trying to solve their power-forward spot and are watching the market for players who can hold up defensively while not disappearing on the other end.
P.J. Washington fits that broad description as well as almost anyone likely to surface in trade chatter, which is why his name keeps coming up around the Wolves. He brings the kind of matchup flexibility Minnesota covets, can punish smaller defenders, and still offers enough spacing to keep an offense from clogging, even in a season that has not gone as smoothly from outside. If Dallas is more willing to listen now, Minnesotas path to a deal could start taking shape quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves May Have Already Found Their Answer To The Naz Reid Void
Minnesotas bench is going to look different without Naz Reid, and the Timberwolves are already sorting through the options for replacing that kind of nightly punch. One name that keeps surfacing is Bones Hyland, who was brought back recently and gives the team a familiar, explosive guard who can provide offense in short bursts and help stabilize the second unit.
Hylands case is rooted in both fit and momentum. He turned into a more regular scoring presence off the bench as last season went on, and his growth has given Minnesota something to think about as it reshapes its rotation. Terrence Shannon Jr. brings a different kind of value and still needs the ball more, which leaves the door open for Hyland to slide into a role that demands instant production and a little more polish than the Wolves have had to ask from him before. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Just Got The LaMelo Ball News They Feared
The offseason rumor mill has already turned into something closer to a full-blown roster shuffle, with the East in particular taking on a very different look. Boston has agreed to send Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks, Nikola Vucevic is back with Orlando, and the Raptors and Heat are being tied to headline-grabbing returns and arrivals that would reshape the conference in a hurry.
For Minnesota, though, the most relevant part of the wave is the kind that changes the ceiling of a team overnight. LaMelo Ball is now headed to the Timberwolves, giving the franchise a new star-level name to slot into the conversation as the rest of the league keeps moving around him. The Hornets, naturally, are the ones left to absorb the loss, while Minnesota now has to sort out what comes next after landing the most eye-catching piece in the whole transaction frenzy. [Read more 🡒]