The Minnesota Timberwolves do not have to move Terrence Shannon Jr. But if the front office decides a shake-up is necessary, he looks like the cleanest trade piece on the board.
That has less to do with Shannon’s talent than with how crowded the Wolves’ backcourt and wing rotation has become. He’s a good player.
In fact, there’s a strong case that, in the right situation, he could grow into a reliable 15-point-per-game scorer. The problem is fit.
After Minnesota’s turbulent offseason, his strengths overlap a little too much with what the roster already has.
The biggest issue is simple: too many players need the ball.
Anthony Edwards is still the team’s centerpiece, and the offense will run through him often. LaMelo Ball was added to handle playmaking duties, get others involved and create plenty for himself along the way, which naturally gives him a huge usage load.
Jonathan Kuminga is likely to be pushed into a more off-ball role, but he’s also shown he can create his own offense and will still have some responsibilities there. Chris Finch and Tim Connelly have also made it clear they want Jaden McDaniels to be more aggressive with the ball.
And that’s before getting to the bench. Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland are both expected to have the ball in their hands and serve as the main facilitators for the second unit.
That leaves Shannon in a tough spot. He brings downhill force, can create for himself and draws fouls, but he sits behind all of those other names in the pecking order. For him to carve out a real role in Minnesota, he’ll need to become a better catch-and-shoot threat and a more dependable cutter.
If that part of his game doesn’t come along, it doesn’t make him a bad player. It just means his best fit may be somewhere else.
He’s clearly NBA-caliber and should help a number of teams. It just may not be this one.
And if that’s how the Wolves see it, Shannon could wind up as the trade chip they use to try to strengthen the depth of a roster they hope can chase a championship.
In Other News...
Chris Finch Now Faces A Wolves Challenge He Cant Ease Into
With Naz Reid gone, Chris Finch is being asked to reshape the Timberwolves interior rotation while also keeping an eye on how the roster is shifting around him. One of the biggest immediate changes is Joan Beringer stepping into a larger backup center role, and Finch has been candid about the fact that Beringer is still very much in the growth stage of his career. It is the kind of adjustment a coach can usually ease into over time, but the Wolves do not have that luxury now.
Finch also has to layer in a new look after the additions of LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga, which means the old habits and old answers are not going to carry over cleanly. He has already pointed back to the challenges of last season and the changes on his staff, including Pablo Prigionis promotion to lead assistant coach, as part of the broader reset. The Wolves are trying to build a different sort of identity, and Finchs job now is to make those moving parts fit fast. [Read more 🡒]
Wolves Camp Cut Creates An Awkward Iowa Wolves Question
Minnesotas camp roster continues to take shape, and one of the more routine parts of that process arrived this week when Stephen Thompson was waived by the Timberwolves, according to the NBAs official transaction log. Thompson had only recently signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal, the kind of move that often signals a chance to compete in camp while keeping the door open to a G League path if the NBA roster does not stick.
For the Wolves, the next step is where things get a little less straightforward. Thompson could still end up with the Iowa Wolves, but that route depends on a rights issue that has to be sorted out through Wisconsin before he can suit up for Minnesotas G League affiliate this season. It is the sort of small but important roster wrinkle that often sits in the background of camp cuts, and for Iowa, it could determine whether a familiar developmental opportunity is actually available. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Might Be Walking Into The Perfect Wolves Situation
Jonathan Kuminga arrives in Minnesota with a profile that still invites optimism, even if his shooting track record has been uneven. He has generally been a below-average three-point shooter in his NBA career, with one notable exception in 2022-23, and his two-point efficiency has also drifted the wrong way in recent seasons. For a Timberwolves team looking to squeeze more value out of pace, movement and playmaking, that makes him a fascinating fit rather than a finished product.
The appeal is obvious: the Wolves can put him in a faster offense and try to create simpler scoring chances, especially around the basket where his finishing has been more inconsistent lately. If Minnesota can help him get back to the easier looks that once made his scoring pop, the move could look far smarter than a simple change of scenery. The bigger question is whether the conditions are finally right for that rebound to happen. [Read more 🡒]