Minnesota Timberwolves: Predicting which players will return next season
By Nate Ackert
Predicting which Timberwolves players will return next season: Wings/Forwards
Josh Okogie
Prediction: WILL return to the Wolves next season
Certainty: High
Simply put, the Wolves lack defense, and Okogie can defend.
It’s hard to envision a significant market for Okogie on the trade block, so it makes sense for Okogie to return next season in the role he thrived in under Finch: as a situational defender capable of causing chaos for opposing offenses.
Jake Layman
Prediction: WILL return to the Wolves next season
Certainty: Low
Jake Layman certainly isn’t a hot commodity on the trade market, but he’s on a cap-friendly contract for the Timberwolves.
Layman fell out of the rotation under Finch, but Finch has previously spoken highly of Layman’s ability to thrive off the ball, something the Wolves will need out of their role players to support KAT, D’Lo, and Ant. With all that said, it’s also easy to envision Layman being thrown into a trade as salary filler, so Layman’s future with the Timberwolves is anyone’s guess at this point.
Jarrett Culver
Prediction: WILL NOT return to the Wolves next season
Certainty: High
Culver fell out of the Wolves rotation this year and also suffered a serious injury late in the season.
Most of the value Culver had as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft has fallen away. Culver is scheduled to earn just over $6.3 million next year, which, at his current level of play, makes him a negative contract for the Wolves.
The Wolves will absolutely consider offers for Culver from teams who want to buy-low for him. If the Wolves want to move off of Culver, they likely need to do it soon, because the bulk of the trade value Culver holds (if any) comes from the fact that he was the No. 6 overall pick in 2019, meaning that as time passes without clear on-court improvement, his trade value decreases.
Jaden McDaniels
Prediction: WILL return to the Wolves next season
Certainty: Medium/High
McDaniels turned out to be one of the steals of the 2021 draft.
Establishing himself as one of the Wolves’ best defenders, McDaniels went from out of the rotation entering the season to a starter at the end of the season. His size and athleticism give him a very high ceiling, and other teams around the league have clearly taken notice, as the Wolves reportedly received multiple calls about McDaniels at this past trade deadline.
The Wolves are short on current assets, so it’s not impossible that McDaniels could end up being a difference-maker the moves the needle in a big trade. However, with McDaniels’ limitless ceiling as a player, it’s easier to envision McDaniels as a long-term, two-way starter at the 3 for the Wolves.
Juancho Hernangomez
Prediction: WILL return to the Wolves next season
Certainty: High
Good luck finding a suitor for Juancho Hernangomez at $7 million per year on the trade market.
Unless he is a filler in a bigger trade, Juancho’s contract should keep him in Minnesota next season. After struggling at the beginning of the season, Juancho found more success in Finch’s system at the 3-spot.
Rosas likely isn’t ready to fold on the $21 million bet he made on Juancho last summer, but it’s not hard to envision Juancho being salary filler in a trade, either.