The Minnesota Timberwolves may be light on draft capital, but they are not short on trade pieces.
After a busy summer, the cupboard is basically bare when it comes to picks. Minnesota has already moved every first-rounder it is allowed to trade, and the only second-round pick it still controls is top-50 protected, which leaves it with little real value.
That does not mean the roster itself is empty of assets, though. If the Wolves decide to make another move before the season starts, there are still a handful of players who could draw interest around the league.
Josh Green stands out first. He looks like the clearest candidate if Minnesota wants to chase frontcourt help, largely because of the money attached to his deal.
Green is set to make $14.7 million this season, a number that leaves the Wolves only a few million below their second-apron hard cap. That makes him the most direct path to creating room for another salary.
His contract also expires after this season, which could appeal to a team looking to clear future money. Minnesota could even pair Green with another player on this list to increase the return.
Donte DiVincenzo brings a different kind of value. His appeal is tied to what happens next.
He is expected to miss most or all of the 2026-27 season and will head into next offseason as an unrestricted free agent. For another team, that could mean using his expiring deal to open up cap space or keeping him around in hopes of getting him back for his first full season after the Achilles injury.
His $12.5 million salary also gives Minnesota a way to chase a player it could not simply sign outright. Still, the Wolves do not appear eager to move him, since they view him as one of their core pieces.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is another name to watch, even if his fit in Minnesota has become more complicated. His 2025-26 season was uneven.
Injuries slowed him early, but he finished strongly, playing well down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs. Chris Finch’s decision to put the ball in his hands more helped unlock that late surge, and that approach would need to continue.
The issue is that with Ball now on the roster, there may be fewer on-ball chances to go around. Minnesota believes in what Shannon Jr. offers, but another team might be better positioned to maximize his downhill game.
He also makes sense as a piece to attach to Green in a bigger deal.
Then there is Joan Beringer, who draws glowing reviews from everyone inside the organization. Timberwolves staffers talk about how fast the 20-year-old Frenchman picks things up and believe he is ready for a rotation role next season.
Minnesota clearly sees him as one of its core pieces, on the same level as players like Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu. Among the younger players on the roster, Beringer would have the most trade value.
Even so, actually moving him would be extremely unlikely, especially after the Wolves already made a major swing by bringing in Ball. Minnesota may be higher on Beringer than anyone else in the league, and it drafted him 17th one year ago with big expectations for both now and later.
Rudy Gobert is the biggest name on the list, but he is also the least likely to be dealt right now. Minnesota’s short-term hopes still lean heavily on him, especially because there is no obvious backup plan if his skill set does not mesh with the new roster.
If the Wolves ever did decide to move on, though, Gobert would have the highest trade value of anyone not named Edwards, Ball, or McDaniels. Even at 34, he still has plenty left, and teams looking for a defensive anchor would line up for him.
He can erase mistakes, protect the rim, and still bring positive offense with his size and strength. But a Gobert trade would also mean a complete reset in how Minnesota defends, and that kind of move feels more like a season-altering fallback than something the Wolves are preparing to do now.
In Other News...
Tim Connelly Just Addressed The Timberwolves Question Fans Care About
Tim Connellys future has been one of the quieter but more important questions around the Timberwolves as the front office heads into another pivotal stretch. The president of basketball operations spoke recently about the teams roster-building path, revisiting the high-profile moves that reshaped Minnesota, including the trades for Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and LaMelo Ball, while also acknowledging that some of those deals have come with their share of difficulty.
What stood out most was Connellys tone about what comes next. With his contract set to expire after this year, he made it clear he remains invested in finishing the job and keeping the roster moving forward after the clubs recent playoff runs. For a team that has spent years trying to turn promise into something more lasting, the bigger question now is whether the same person who helped steer those bold swings will be the one guiding the next phase. [Read more 🡒]
J. Cole Just Added More Hype To Minnesotas New Star Pairing
The buzz around Minnesotas latest roster shakeup reached beyond the NBA floor and into a concert crowd, where J. Cole gave the Timberwolves new partnership between Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball an extra shot of credibility. During a Minnesota stop on The Fall Off tour, Cole publicly praised the pairing and said he believed the two guards would make for a strong team, adding a little celebrity fuel to a move that already had plenty of intrigue attached to it.
For the Wolves, the appeal is obvious. Ball brings another skilled facilitator into a group that already features Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, giving Minnesota a different kind of playmaking option after its Western Conference Semifinals run. Coles reaction matters mostly as a measure of the excitement around the fit, and it adds to the sense that the Timberwolves are trying to turn a promising core into something even more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
Joan Beringer Is Giving The Timberwolves A New Reason For Hope
Joan Beringer has already given Minnesota something it has been hunting for: a young frontcourt player whose defensive profile looks unusually real for this stage of his career. Tim Connelly, one of the lead voices in the Timberwolves front office, singled out Beringers blend of physical tools and defensive upside, the kind of endorsement that carries extra weight for a team built around toughness and length. After a rookie season that offered encouraging signs on that end, Beringer enters this year with a clearer path to minutes.
For the Timberwolves, the intrigue is not just whether Beringer can protect the rim and move like a modern big, but whether those traits can translate into broader value as his role grows. Increased playing time should give the team a better read on how far his athleticism can take him, especially if the defensive impact continues to show up early and often. If he keeps progressing, Minnesota could have found another piece who helps shape the identity it wants to keep building around. [Read more 🡒]