The Timberwolves made their move to get Jonathan Kuminga, and in the process they chose Cody Williams over John Konchar. That part of the deal may look strange at first glance, but the math and the roster picture explain why Minnesota landed there.
To make room for Kuminga’s two-year, $12.4 million contract, the Wolves had to get below the second apron. Josh Green was the obvious outgoing piece, and Minnesota sent him, along with cash, to the Jazz last week for Williams and Konchar. The club then went a step further and waived and stretched Konchar’s contract, opening roughly $4 million in cap room and giving itself enough space to add another veteran’s minimum player.
Konchar, 30, is a 6’5” combo guard who does a lot of his best work on the boards. He would fit on a contender. But Minnesota still decided the younger, less proven Williams was the better piece to keep around.
The money side is a big part of that call. If the Wolves had kept Konchar, he would have counted $6.2 million against the books this season.
By waiving and stretching him, Minnesota pushes that money into dead cap and pays $2.1 million in each of the next three seasons instead. That saves the team about $4 million this year.
The same mechanism could have been used on Williams instead. He is due $6.1 million this season, and his 2027-28 salary would be $7.6 million if Minnesota picks up his team option by Oct.
- If the Wolves waived and stretched him before then, the future dead money would have landed at roughly $2 million over the next three seasons.
That is barely different from Konchar’s number, which is why the choice to keep Williams over Konchar is not nearly as lopsided as it may have seemed.
Williams also brings something the Wolves can use. He is 6’8” with a 7’1” wingspan, and over two seasons in Utah he developed into a long, flexible defender who can handle work on and off the ball across several positions. According to halfpast.noon on Instagram, he ranked in the 76th percentile in perimeter isolation defense last season, the 82nd percentile in defensive positional versatility, and in the 81st percentile in matchup difficulty.
That skill set gives Minnesota a possible option at power forward, which still matters even after the Kuminga addition. The Wolves are not overflowing with players who fit there, especially if injuries hit. Williams may not be a clean path to rotation minutes, but his defense at that spot can help in the right matchup.
The other side of this is just as real: Williams might not get much of a chance at all. Minnesota’s depth chart is crowded with Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Jaylen Clark ahead of him.
Utah took Williams 10th overall in 2024 out of Colorado. He is the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams.
In 117 games with the Jazz, he averaged seven points while shooting 41.9% from the field and 23.7% from three in 23 minutes per game. That rough shooting is a big reason Utah moved on from him at 21, and it could easily keep him buried in Minnesota too.
Still, there is some upside left to chase. In his final 20 games last season, with Utah tanking and sitting starters, Williams averaged 16 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while shooting 54.1% on two-pointers and 20.7% on threes over 34.8 minutes a night. That stretch included his career-high 34 points against the Sacramento Kings on March 15.
So even if Williams never becomes a major part of the Wolves’ rotation, keeping him makes sense. It cost about the same as keeping Konchar would have.
It preserves a defensive piece Minnesota can use in a pinch. And it leaves a sliver of hope that the former lottery pick still has something to offer.
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