The Minnesota Timberwolves’ hunt for a power forward may already have a clear trail, and it runs through Josh Green.
That much is easy to see after the Wolves moved Naz Reid and Julius Randle. Jaden McDaniels is the only true forward on the roster right now, while Rudy Gobert and Joan Beringer are the only centers. The need for size at the four is obvious, and it’s still sitting there nearly 48 hours into free agency.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype offered the clearest hint yet at how Minnesota might attack the problem. Following the LaMelo Ball trade, Scotto reported that executives around the league believe the Timberwolves will try to add a big man who can stretch the floor. The working assumption, he wrote, is that Minnesota could explore moving Josh Green’s expiring $14.68 million contract or use its taxpayer mid-level exception worth $6.06 million.
That lines up with the reality of the market, too. The Wolves have already seen Kyle Anderson sign with the Toronto Raptors and Kenrich Williams re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which takes two more names off the board. With options thinning fast, a Green deal starts to look like Minnesota’s cleanest path to solving the hole at power forward.
There’s one catch: using the taxpayer mid-level exception would require the Wolves to open cap space and leave room to finish filling out the roster, according to Bobby Marks. Waiving and stretching Green would help create that flexibility, which makes some version of moving on from him the most likely outcome if Minnesota wants to shop in that part of the market.
And really, the idea that Green might not end up playing for the Timberwolves shouldn’t come out of nowhere. It’s been floated before. What makes it more notable now is that there’s real reporting behind it.
If Minnesota does move Green, the next question is who they chase. One appealing route would be packaging him with Terrence Shannon Jr. in a deal for P.J.
Washington, a move that would also matter because of the Timberwolves’ limited draft capital. Washington, especially with the Dallas Mavericks having traded for Santi Aldama, would give Minnesota defense and versatility in one shot.
Obi Toppin is another name worth watching if the Indiana Pacers were open to a deal. His athleticism and versatility would give the Wolves a different kind of jolt.
Neither player is a perfect match for the floor-spacing label Scotto mentioned, but both bring enough shooting and all-around value to make the fit workable. And with Aldama traded and Sandro Mamukelashvili signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, the list of true stretch-four options is getting thinner by the minute.
If Minnesota wants a lower-cost swing, Nikola Jovic and Dorian Finney-Smith both qualify as buy-low possibilities. Jovic could still rebound into a real stretch-four type after a down year, while Finney-Smith’s defensive versatility would give the Wolves a useful piece if he bounces back.
There’s also the possibility of a bigger swing on Jonathan Kuminga, though that would come with risk even if the price is manageable. Rui Hachimura would be another ideal answer, but that doesn’t sound realistic even if the Wolves find extra room under the cap.
For now, Minnesota is still waiting to solve its biggest roster issue. But the clues are pointing in one direction, and Josh Green keeps coming up as the most likely path to a fix.
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 🡒]