The Timberwolves have a clear need at the back end of their roster, and it comes down to two things: size and voice.
Minnesota is optimistic about what Joan Beringer can become, but the second-year big man is still expected to grow into the job. The Wolves saw enough from him in limited action last season to believe he deserves a bigger runway, and that runway opened up after the team traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid to acquire LaMelo Ball in June.
Even with last week’s additions of Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year, $12.4 million deal and Cody Williams in a trade that sent Josh Green to the Utah Jazz, the Timberwolves still enter the 2026-27 season with Beringer as their only true backup to Rudy Gobert. That leaves Chris Finch exposed if Beringer gets into foul trouble, and it also raises a bigger concern: what happens if Gobert misses time?
Minnesota has roughly $4 million in room below the second apron and one open roster spot after those moves, which gives Tim Connelly the flexibility to add another veteran on a minimum deal. If Trey Kaufman-Renn, the Wolves’ 59th overall pick, is successful in his motion to return to college for a sixth year, the final spot would almost certainly need to be filled from outside the organization. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski framed the idea this way:
I suspect the Wolves will look to add another veteran who, at minimum, can be a real locker room presence while helping on the floor in spot duty if needed.
So who fits? Five names stand out.
Kevin Love is the sentimental one, and maybe the most talked-about one among fans. Minnesota’s fifth overall pick in 2008 would bring the kind of small-ball five ability the roster could use, especially after last season in Utah, when he averaged 5.4 shot attempts and took 3.8 threes per game, making 37.3% of them.
He still rebounds well, and he would also bring championship experience and a respected presence in the room. A return for his 19th season, and a finish as a Timberwolf, would be a fitting ending.
Mason Plumlee makes sense in a different way. Tim Connelly has history with him from Denver, where he traded Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick for Plumlee and a second-rounder in 2017.
Plumlee then spent most of four seasons with the Nuggets while Connelly was in the front office. He has also shared locker rooms with Will Barton, Bones Hyland, and LaMelo.
Last season, he appeared in only 20 games between the Charlotte Hornets and Spurs, but he would still give Finch a center option who can be trusted in an emergency and bring accountability to the group.
Bismack Biyombo is another veteran who would check multiple boxes. Last season with the Spurs, he played just 5.6 minutes per game across 25 contests and filled a Joe Ingles-type role as a vocal locker room leader.
That matters for a Minnesota team that lost veteran voices this summer with Ingles, Mike Conley, and Kyle Anderson all gone. Biyombo can still help in short stretches, too.
Two seasons ago, he averaged 18.9 minutes over 28 games for San Antonio and posted 5.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 58.8% from the field. Still, he looks better as a voice and a spot contributor than someone you want leaned on for long stretches.
Kelly Olynyk offers more on-court utility than most of the names on this list. Last season with the Spurs, he averaged 3.2 points in 8.6 minutes over 42 games, but two years ago he was much more involved, putting up 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 20.3 minutes across 44 games with the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans.
He shot 50% from the floor and 41.8% from three in that stretch. For Minnesota, that kind of stretch-the-floor big would fit neatly alongside the starters while still giving the team a dependable rebounder and defender.
Drew Eubanks rounds out the group as the energetic, physical option. He played 42 games last season for the Sacramento Kings and scored in double figures eight times, including a 19-point outing against the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 11, when he went 8 of 9 from the floor.
He is not a true rim protector, but he plays with force around the basket, rebounds well, and gives a team a live-wire pick-and-roll big who runs the floor. If the Wolves want to play faster, his athleticism would fit that style.
He’s also been a player Minnesota has had reason to consider all offseason.
The Wolves do not need a star with this final spot. They need someone who can survive in the paint, steady the room, and hold up in short bursts when called upon. That is the assignment.
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The changes are meant to help Minnesota take a real swing at the Western Conferences upper tier, where the margin for error is thin and every matchup seems to say something about contender status. The next stretch of games should offer an early read on whether this new look has enough shot creation, depth and flexibility to hang with the teams the Timberwolves have to catch. [Read more 🡒]