The Minnesota Timberwolves used the second-to-last pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Trey Kaufman-Renn, but the rookie’s next move may not be in Minnesota at all.
More than two months after the draft, Kaufman-Renn still hasn’t signed with the Timberwolves, and there’s a growing chance he never does. According to Nathan Baird of the Indy Star, the former Purdue forward is pursuing a sixth year of college eligibility. Baird wrote:
“Former Purdue basketball forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, has asked a court to force the NCAA to allow him to play a sixth season.”
That’s the kind of twist college sports has produced in a year packed with lawsuits, where eligibility has become anything but straightforward.
Kaufman-Renn’s college path would normally appear to be finished. He redshirted his first season, then played four more years for Purdue. But in this moment, certainty is hard to come by, and it’s still unclear whether he’d be trying to return to Purdue or suit up somewhere else if he gets the chance.
What is clear is that Minnesota never looked like a team planning on leaning heavily on him right away. Kaufman-Renn got run in summer league, where he averaged 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 12.7 minutes per game. That was less than half the court time Isaiah Evans got, even though Evans was the Timberwolves’ other 2026 second-round pick.
The usage told the story. Kaufman-Renn was not on track to be a meaningful part of Minnesota’s plans for the 2026-27 season.
His situation even brought to mind Rocco Zikarsky’s path from last year. Zikarsky, the 45th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, spent almost all of the season with the Iowa Wolves in the G League and didn’t make his NBA debut until late February. The major difference is age: Zikarsky was 19 for the entire season, while Kaufman-Renn turned 24 on August 19.
Minnesota does still have an open roster spot, though Kaufman-Renn has not been viewed as a real candidate for it. The Timberwolves also have all three two-way spots filled. In theory, one of those spots could open up if Minnesota moved on from a current two-way player, and Enrique Freeman looks like the most likely possibility.
If Kaufman-Renn gets the green light for another college season, it likely won’t change much for the Timberwolves one way or another.
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Timberwolves Final Roster Spot Suddenly Carries A Familiar Possibility
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Among the names drawing conversation is a familiar one, with the possibility of a reunion adding a layer of intrigue to an otherwise straightforward roster question. For Minnesota, the appeal is easy to see: a former Timberwolves big man with years of NBA experience, three All-Star nods on his rsum and a reputation as a steady locker-room presence could give the bench another voice and another option in the frontcourt. The only real question now is whether the team wants to use that last opening on a proven veteran fit or keep it available for something else later. [Read more 🡒]