The Timberwolves may have let the best window to move Terrence Shannon Jr. slip away.
That’s the crux of the problem with Shannon in Minnesota: his best work comes when the ball is in his hands, but the Wolves’ revamped roster is already crowded with players who need touches. Chris Finch has acknowledged that reality and has talked about giving Shannon more on-ball responsibility.
The catch is obvious. To do that, somebody else has to give.
And that’s not a simple puzzle on this roster. In the starting group, Minnesota has Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, and Jonathan Kuminga.
Coming off the bench, Ayo Dosumnu and Bones Hyland bring more creation while still being able to function without dominating the ball. There are only so many possessions to go around, and Shannon’s role is not easy to define in the middle of all that.
He does bring some real offensive tools. Shannon can pressure the rim, draw fouls, and hit tough shots.
But he also has clear limitations. As a driver, he doesn’t always stay under control, and he leans heavily on his left hand.
Away from the ball, the shot has been uneven; last season, he hit 33.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes. Add in the defensive lapses, and he starts to look like a tricky fit in a straightforward complementary role.
That doesn’t mean his NBA future is in doubt. It just means the fit in Minnesota is awkward. Shannon looks like a player who can help, but maybe not one who slots neatly into this particular Wolves setup.
The trade discussion is where this gets interesting. Shannon is expected to be part of the rotation right away, but that could change quickly if the fit doesn’t click.
With Minnesota also thin in the frontcourt, he stands out as a trade candidate. The risk for the Wolves is timing: if he slips out of the rotation, his value could drop fast.
And at 26, he doesn’t carry the same long runway as most third-year players.
That’s why this offseason may have been the moment to cash in.
Shannon’s playoff run gave him real buzz, and that likely made his value stronger than it will be later. Still, the preseason offered a hint that the fit problems weren’t going away.
In four games where Shannon and the starters all shared the floor, he averaged 6.6 points on 4-for-13 shooting. The offense around him never quite settled into a natural rhythm.
The two games without the starters didn’t solve much, either. Shannon showed once more that he’s not yet a reliable self-creator, even though he did score 19 points against the Miami Heat’s reserves. His decision-making near the rim was still shaky.
There was at least some progress in his playmaking. It looked better than before, even if it still wasn’t clean enough to justify handing him the offense. That’s the kind of improvement that matters, but not enough to erase the larger concerns.
If Shannon keeps performing the way he did alongside the starters, Finch may eventually trim his minutes or pull back entirely. And if Minnesota waits until the deadline to explore a deal, the return probably won’t be as strong. The most convincing case for moving him is roster balance: the Wolves have too many bench guards and wings, and not enough true frontcourt players.
A deal that brings back a young frontcourt piece makes sense on paper. The problem is that the Wolves may have waited until the market cooled.
Shannon’s value looked better after the playoffs, when he averaged 11.8 points and scored 24 in a closeout game against the Denver Nuggets. Minnesota may still want to see whether year three changes the picture.
But if the team eventually decides to move him, the return might not match what was available this offseason.
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Timberwolves May Have A Longer Wait Than Expected On This Draft Pick
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For now, Kaufman-Renn has moved forward with Kansas, where he has signed, enrolled in classes and started practicing with the Jayhawks. The NCAA is expected to appeal the injunction, which leaves Minnesota in a familiar draft-night holding pattern with a player it still controls on paper, even though he has not signed a professional contract. [Read more 🡒]
Cody Williams Is Making Minnesotas Rotation Battle Hard To Ignore
Cody Williams has turned Timberwolves training camp into one of those early roster discussions that can quietly linger all season. The former lottery pick has stood out to teammates and coaches with his defense and versatility, and his preseason minutes have offered the kind of preview that can matter in a crowded rotation race. Even with the offense still coming along, Williams has shown enough instincts on that end and enough playmaking flashes to make him feel more than just another camp body.
The comparison point inside Minnesota is hard to miss because Terrence Shannon Jr. has also been fighting for traction, but not with the same level of consistency. Williams steadier defensive presence has given him a real case for more consideration, especially for a team looking to sort out who can be trusted when the games start to count. For now, the most interesting part of his rise is not just what he has done, but how much attention he is forcing the staff to pay to the battle around him. [Read more 🡒]
Finch Just Put A Title Concern On The Timberwolves' Radar
Chris Finch is already looking past the obvious strengths of this Timberwolves group and straight at the area that could decide how far it goes. For all the buzz around Minnesotas top-end talent and Rudy Goberts presence in the paint, Finch made it clear that rebounding is the biggest issue on his radar entering the season, a reminder that championship teams usually have to survive the grind as much as they have to win the highlight moments.
The concern is less about one player carrying the load and more about how the roster fits together after losing size in the frontcourt. Finch wants more help on the glass from the wings and bigger scoring options, and the burden figures to fall on players such as Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards to chip in. Gobert remains an elite rebounder, but Minnesota will need the whole rotation to buy in if it wants to avoid turning a manageable flaw into a playoff problem. [Read more 🡒]