The Minnesota Timberwolves pushed hard for LeBron James in free agency. They really thought they had a shot. But LeBron chose Philly instead, joining Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown on the 76ers. That leaves the Timberwolves staring at a roster that already lost Naz Reid and Julius Randle this offseason, and they still have a gaping hole up front.
Minnesota made some moves early. They traded Reid in the deal that brought in LaMelo Ball. They dumped Randle on the Brooklyn Nets to clear cap space, then used that room to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu to a five-year, $112 million contract. The idea was that James would slide in as the missing piece after four straight playoff exits. That didn’t happen.
Now the Wolves have to figure out what’s next. And it’s pretty obvious: they need size. Badly.
They traded away their identity
Since 2022, Minnesota built its whole approach around being big and physical. Rudy Gobert at center, Karl-Anthony Towns sliding to power forward. It worked. They beat the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the 2024 playoffs. They made the conference finals in 2025 after trading Towns for Randle. But they got bounced by San Antonio in the second round of the 2026 playoffs, and the front office panicked.
Tim Connelly and company decided to pivot. They want to surround Anthony Edwards with speed, shooting, and ballhandling while staying decent on defense. That’s fine in theory. But they gave up a lot of size. Reid and Randle are gone. Now their backup bigs are Joan Beringer, who averaged 7.9 minutes a night, and Trey Lyles, who spent last season playing for Real Madrid in Europe. That’s not ideal for a team in the West.
Jaden McDaniels can’t guard everyone
One problem nobody’s talking about enough: if McDaniels plays the four, he can’t guard the other team’s best perimeter player. That’s his whole value. He’s supposed to chase Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Jamal Murray. He can’t do that if he’s stuck banging with power forwards all night. The Wolves already have a starting five of Edwards, Ball, Gobert, Dosunmu, and McDaniels. That lineup might work offensively but it’s going to get bullied on the glass.
Connelly needs to bring in at least one more big man. Maybe two. And the good news is they have a trade chip: Josh Green. He’s making $14.7 million in the final year of his contract. He’s a solid glue guy but Minnesota is loaded at guard and wing. They can afford to move him.
So who’s available? Day’Ron Sharpe is probably off the table since Brooklyn needs him at center after Nic Claxton left. Derrick Jones Jr. could be a target now that Kawhi Leonard is reportedly heading to Toronto. Jones can play the wing and slide up to the four. He’d cost Green plus some second-round picks, but that might be worth it.
Then there’s Jarred Vanderbilt, an old friend. Anthony Edwards loves him. He knows Chris Finch’s system. And the Lakers need wing help. A straight swap of Green for Vanderbilt could actually work for both sides. Vanderbilt can’t shoot but he’s a real defensive weapon in the right lineup.
The Wolves aren’t doomed. They still have Edwards and Gobert. But they need to make a move before the season starts, or they’re going to find out the hard way that you can’t replace two big men with a 19-year-old and a guy who played in Spain.
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