Minnesota Timberwolves rumors: What are the Wolves going to do?

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a very quiet free agency thus far, something that should have been expected given the lack of resources that could potentially be used to acquire free agents.

As of right now, the rumors regarding the Timberwolves are pretty consistent. To start, it looks as though the Timberwolves are working towards a deal which would bring back two-way guard Jordan McLaughlin back to Minnesota for multiple seasons, according to reporter Darren Wolfson. The Timberwolves have about $7 million in room before they reach the luxury tax.

Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors: What are the Wolves doing in free agency?

Jordan McLaughlin would be a nice, underrated get that brings continuity to the backup point guard role – and does so with a player that deserves a full-time contract – and has deserved one the past two seasons.

After McLaughlin, things get a bit hairy. The second major free agent that the Timberwolves have is Jarred Vanderbilt, who is restricted – meaning that the Timberwolves can match any offer that he signs. Progress on a potential deal between Vanderbilt and the Timberwolves does not seem to be happening, though, according to Jon Krawczynski.

Ideally, the Timberwolves are able to bring back both McLaughlin and Vanderbilt, although presumably they don’t want to dive into the luxury tax to make that happen. The team already sits at $128 million in payroll. Presumably, the two combined make roughly $10-12 million annually.

If the Timberwolves decide against retaining either player, the free agency market likely where general manager Gersson Rosas turns – although there has been rumors of the team seeking a sign-and-trade for a starting-level power forward.

According to Darren Wolfson, the Timberwolves have been in contact on Lauri Markkanen – someone whose contract rights they traded away in the Jimmy Butler deal on the 2017 draft night. Markkanen’s market presumably is not as much as expected – given only three teams have substaincial salary cap space left – so maybe a sign-and-trade is not totally out of the question for the Timberwolves on that front.