Minnesota Timberwolves: Which restricted free agent is most likely to return?

Minnesota Timberwolves: Will the Wolves re-sign Jordan McLaughlin?

Jordan McLaughlin was originally a two-way contract signee following Las Vegas Summer League in 2019.

It was an impressive find by the recently-hired Rosas; McLaughlin was a four-year starter at USC who had gone undrafted in 2018 and spent all of 2019 in the G League. He played so well in Vegas that the Wolves handed him a two-way deal, and by the time the calendar flipped to 2020, McLaughlin was permanently with the big club.

In part due to the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 campaign, McLaughlin struggled to find a deal in restricted free agency last offseason and ultimately came back to Minnesota at the eleventh hour on a second two-way deal.

While McLaughlin’s second season wasn’t quite as impressive as his rookie effort, there were plenty of factors that played into his performance, from a shifting role to a midseason bout with COVID-19.

McLaughlin clearly has the ability to be a backup point guard in the league. Despite his diminutive stature, he holds his own defensively and does a decent job fighting through screens and staying in front of his man.

McLaughlin also has a quick first step and is fearless in the paint. When left open, he can knock down perimeter jumpers, too, hitting on 36.9 percent of his 3-point attempts thus far in his career.

Last season, McLaughlin’s found the free agent market to be tepid. After a so-so sophomore campaign, it’s reasonable to think that the Wolves may be able to hammer out a deal to keep McLaughlin in the fold without the need to match another team’s offer sheet.

Chris Hine of the Star Tribune and KSTP/Skor North’s Darren Wolfson each provided McLaughlin updates on the second day of free agency.

With no other point guards on the roster, McLaughlin knows he’ll have something of a built-in role.

The Wolves can also a clear argument that they’re committed to McLaughlin. After all, they just traded Russell’s backup in a move to clear cap space — the same cap space they’re now trying to use to keep McLaughlin.

Minnesota needs a backup point guard. McLaughlin is seeking security and a role, and he’s not likely to find a team that would hand him more minutes than the Wolves. The two parties are quite familiar with one another.

At this stage, it would be a surprise to not see J-Mac back in Timberwolves threads in 2020-21.

Now, let’s talk about Jarred Vanderbilt…