The Timberwolves’ options at power forward just took another hit.
Kyle Anderson, known around the league as “SloMo,” is headed to the Toronto Raptors on a one-year, $3.9 million contract in free agency, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The move removes another familiar frontcourt piece from Minnesota’s board as the Wolves try to sort out a position that suddenly looks bare.
Anderson is the third power forward from the Wolves’ 2025-26 roster to leave this offseason, following Julius Randle, who was traded to the Nets, and Naz Reid, who was traded to the Hornets. Right now, Minnesota does not have a traditional four on the roster outside of two-way players Enrique Freeman and Trey Kaufmann-Renn.
That leaves Jaden McDaniels in position to start there next to an Anthony Edwards/LaMelo Ball/Ayo Dosunmu backcourt, even though McDaniels is naturally more of a three. Joan Beringer, meanwhile, is a backup center rather than a power forward.
Anderson had been viewed as a possible return candidate for Minnesota on something close to a veteran minimum deal, but he chose Toronto instead. The Raptors also recently landed Kawhi Leonard and already have Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, and rookie Allen Graves as power forward options.
For Anderson, the Toronto deal comes after a late-season return to Minnesota. He was waived by the Grizzlies in late February, then rejoined the Wolves and appeared in 19 games, starting two. He averaged 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 19 minutes per game, and he was not a major part of the playoff rotation, topping eight minutes only twice in eight postseason appearances.
His earlier Minnesota stretch was more significant. Anderson spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with the Timberwolves, starting 56 of 148 games during that run and serving as a key rotation piece. Before that, he logged brief stops with the Warriors, Heat, Jazz, and Grizzlies after his first NBA stops in San Antonio and Memphis.
A first-round pick at No. 30 in 2014, Anderson began his career with four seasons in San Antonio, where he played alongside Leonard, then moved on to four seasons in Memphis, where he started a career-high 69 games in 2020-21.
Minnesota still has time to work through the mess at the four, but the urgency is obvious. The Wolves may be holding out a sliver of hope that they can convince LeBron James to come play for them.
If that doesn’t happen, they’ll likely have to shop for help on the bargain market because of their cap constraints under the second apron. Even landing someone like Kenrich Williams could require clearing money first.
Among the minimum-level names mentioned as possible targets are Maxi Kleber, Guerschon Yabusele, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., David Roddy, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Jeremy Sochan, and Trendon Watford. Still, none of those players are likely to slide in ahead of Dosunmu, which would leave McDaniels as the Wolves’ starting four, at least for now.
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 🡒]