Surprise! Minnesota Timberwolves reinvest in PF Taurean Prince

The Minnesota Timberwolves seemed to have two significant and season-altering decisions to make this off-season.  The first decision was to determine whether or not to play out the final season with combination guard D’Angelo Russell running the floor for the team. With no trades on draft night, and no trade rumors heating up, it’s a fair conclusion to believe that he will be on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster through the 2022-2023 season.

The second decision was far more significant and actionable. The Minnesota Timberwolves needed to re-sign power forward, Taurean Prince. The reason was rather obvious. The NBA was a bit light in big men this off-season, and the 2022 NBA Draft did not yield any young promising talent for the role.  While Josh Minott has the potential to fill a small forward/power forward role, he is too raw and inexperienced to offer much support this season.

Surprisingly, the Minnesota Timberwolves not only re-signed Prince but did so with an ideal two-year deal that secures him on the roster but is an enviable contract to move if trade talks are warranted over the course of the next 24 months.

Welcome back, Taurean Prince.

Re-signing Prince was the third step of our Minnesota Timberwolves: A 5-step plan for a perfect off-season. In fact, the Timberwolves may have addressed all five steps already. The only question mark is whether rookie Walker Kessler is truly a backup center. Based on what we know so far, I would be comfortable checking off that box as well.

Prince is the prize of the Minnesota Timberwolves free agency this year. Not only did he play a solid role for the team, but he is one of the better defenders on an offensively charged team. Re-signing him adds a bit more balance to the backcourt lopsided roster. There is more work to do. But this transaction is a huge positive investment for the success of the 2022-23 season.