The Timberwolves are still in the LeBron James conversation, but they’d be smart to keep their eyes on a fallback that makes a lot more sense than chasing another splash for the sake of it. If Minnesota misses on James, Rui Hachimura looks like the kind of free-agent swing that could still move the needle.
That matters because the Wolves don’t have much wiggle room on the forward front, and the trade path isn’t exactly clean either. Unless the LaMelo Ball trade gets extended quickly, Minnesota won’t be able to aggregate Josh Green’s salary for another 60 days. A deal with Green could still happen once that trade becomes official, but he can’t be bundled with another player for two months.
So if the Wolves want to add help sooner, free agency may be the cleaner route. Minnesota has already shown interest in Hachimura, and NBA insider Marc Stein reported there’s really no way for the Lakers to re-sign Rui. That opens the door for the Timberwolves to make a real run at him, especially if James ends up elsewhere.
Hachimura isn’t LeBron, and nobody is pretending otherwise. But he does bring exactly the kind of skill set Minnesota could use: size, shooting, and the ability to fit without demanding the ball. At 6-foot-8, he knocked down 44.3 percent of his 3-point shots and 56.9 percent of his 3s in the playoffs last season.
That kind of efficiency makes him more than just a floor spacer. It makes him a clean fit next to the Wolves’ core, including Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball.
He’d also make for an interesting pairing with Jaden McDaniels, giving Minnesota another shooter to work alongside McDaniels’ secondary shot creation. On the defensive end, Hachimura could help free McDaniels to roam more off the ball or take on guards.
There’s also the money side to consider. Signing Hachimura would likely mean waiving Green to create the cap space needed to get it done.
And even then, the Wolves would have competition for him. Whether Hachimura would be willing to take the taxpayer mid-level, if Minnesota opens that path, is a fair question.
Still, if the James pursuit falls short, Hachimura sounds like the next name that should jump to the top of the list. For a team looking for a forward who fits instead of forcing the issue, that’s a pretty strong backup plan.
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The bigger question now is how that growth fits into a reshaped rotation. McDaniels had briefly looked like a possible second scoring option after Julius Randle was traded, but the addition of LaMelo Ball changes the picture again and gives Minnesota a different kind of lead guard to work with. James White and Tim Connelly have both sounded encouraged about where McDaniels is headed, and the Timberwolves seem to believe the real test is no longer whether he can handle more, but how much more they can ask of him. [Read more 🡒]
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There is a reason this pairing has caught attention beyond July games. Zikarsky brings enough offensive range to at least open the door to a frontcourt fit that echoes the kind of spacing-and-size balance Minnesota has chased before, while Beringers comfort shifting to the four gives the Wolves another way to test the idea. Even so, this is still more of an evaluation than a preview of the regular season, where the club is unlikely to lean on the look heavily. [Read more 🡒]
One Quote Just Raised A Painful Question About The Wolves' Gamble
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The gamble is obvious from a roster-construction standpoint: Ball brings offense and a different kind of playmaking, but the fit next to Anthony Edwards has to work on both ends for Minnesotas ceiling to stay where it wants it. For a team that has leaned on its defensive identity, the concern is whether adding Ball helps push the Wolves forward or asks them to give up too much of what made them dangerous in the first place. [Read more 🡒]