The Timberwolves enter the season with real buzz around them, and a lot of that starts with Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. But if Minnesota comes up short of its ceiling, the roster could look different before long. There are a few names worth watching, and three players in particular could be wearing different uniforms after this year.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is one of them. His fourth-year option for 2027-28 comes in at a little over $5 million, which is cheap enough that Minnesota could easily keep him around.
Still, the Wolves have hovered very close to the second apron, and that opens the door for a different decision. The deadline to pick up that option is October 31.
Fit matters here, too. Shannon may simply not be in the best situation to get the kind of on-ball reps that would maximize him.
Chris Finch has said he wants to see Shannon handle the ball more, but that gets tricky with Minnesota’s starting backcourt and with Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland also in the mix off the bench. That kind of crowding could make Shannon a trade candidate.
Through his first two seasons, he has appeared in 75 games and averaged 5.1 points. The talent is there, but the Wolves may not be the team to unlock it.
Bones Hyland is in a different spot, but his future is just as cloudy. Minnesota brought him back on a one-year veteran’s minimum deal worth about $2.85 million, and last season he played far more than expected while hitting 38.8 percent of his 3-point tries.
That said, the postseason likely changed the conversation around him. Hyland’s playoff performance was a letdown, and he has yet to prove he can deliver when the pressure rises, whether with Minnesota, the Denver Nuggets, or the Los Angeles Clippers.
In 23 career postseason games, he has shot 33.6 percent from the field. Even if he puts together a strong regular season, another rough playoff showing would force Minnesota to think hard about bringing him back.
Then there’s Rudy Gobert, whose situation comes with a different kind of uncertainty. He has a $38 million player option for 2027-28, and he’ll be 35 that season. A new contract probably wouldn’t pay him that kind of annual salary, but a multi-year deal could offer the security he might want, especially if it ends up being the last one of that sort he gets.
There’s also the Joan Beringer factor. If Beringer develops more than most people expect in Year 2, Minnesota could have a far cheaper answer at center.
Gobert still matters a lot, especially after doing strong work against Nikola Jokic in last season’s playoffs. But his offense has trended down, with just 7.6 points per game over the last two postseasons.
He still lifts the defense dramatically and takes excellent care of his body, but eventually even he will have to start slowing down.
In Other News...
Anthony Edwards Just Became The Target Of A Brutal New Roast
Anthony Edwards has a way of making himself part of the basketball conversation even when he is nowhere near the floor, and this time it came from an Adidas commercial that drew a playful jab at Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Brown, now with the Philadelphia 76ers, wasnt about to let that one slide, even if the back-and-forth landed in the lighter, internet-fueled corner of NBA banter rather than anything approaching real tension.
Brown answered during a live Twitch stream with teammate VJ Edgecombe, turning Edwards hairline joke back on the Timberwolves star in a way that fit the moment. It added another layer to Edwards already busy public profile, which has included off-court headlines around multiple child support cases and his recent marriage, but for Minnesota fans the immediate takeaway is simpler: their franchise centerpiece keeps finding his way into the middle of the leagues most colorful online exchanges. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Is Giving The Wolves Their Best Early Sign Yet
Anthony Edwards has spent Minnesotas preseason giving the Timberwolves exactly the kind of early signal they wanted after an offseason of recovery and roster turnover. He has been scoring efficiently in exhibition play and, just as important for a team trying to find its footing, he has looked like a player comfortable enough to keep attacking while working alongside new teammates LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga.
Chris Finch has liked what he has seen from Edwards condition, and the broader picture matters just as much as the points. If Edwards is healthy and blending naturally into the group, it gives Minnesota a far better chance to smooth out the integration period before the games start to count, even if the real test of how ready this team is will come once the regular season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Get An Early Test In A Matchup Fans Should Watch Closely
The preseason opener in Miami gives the Timberwolves an immediate measuring stick, and not just because it comes at the same venue that will host their regular-season opener. With Minnesotas roster reshaped over the offseason, this matchup arrives as an early chance to see how the Wolves look against a team that can challenge them physically in the frontcourt and force them to sort through the kind of size they will see again once games start to count.
Miamis group will give Minnesota a useful stress test in that area, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo setting the tone and more size behind them to keep the pressure on. For the Wolves, the question is less about the final score and more about how their new-look rotation handles that type of matchup, which makes this one worth watching closely even in exhibition season. [Read more 🡒]