Did waiving Prince derail Timberwolves depth chart?

Okay, the Minnesota Timberwolves may be sending everyone mixed signals at the moment. And it’s simply one of many challenges that Timberwolves fans face in the limbo between the annual NBA Draft and the start of a new NBA season. You see, the team is trying to assemble an optimal roster, one that can carry this team through the choppy waters of an 82-game marathon, as well as a Timberwolves roster that has enough left in the gas tank that when the NBA Playoffs arrive, this team can sprint to the finish line.

Right now, a quick review of the Timberwolves’ depth chart leaves questions for both categories. While the team has a strong starting five, the decision not to guarantee the 2023-24 NBA salary for PF Taurean Prince is going to cut the Timberwolves roster deeper than you might imagine.

Even if the Timberwolves leverage the extension to Naz Reid by toggling him between the center and power forward roles, and shifting Josh Minott back to the reserves tier, the Timberwolves have just seven seasoned veterans who can truly be counted on to step up for the team in the postseason.

Timberwolves Depth Chart: Under construction

Of course, regardless of how the team handled Taurean Prince’s contract, there is still a void in the Timberwolves’ depth chart at the backup point guard position. But by not-guaranteeing Prince’s $7.44 million, that opens the door to whether or not the team will retain the services of PG Jordan McLaughlin or PF Nathan Knight. Of course, should the team part ways with either or both, that will open one more roster spot.

Right now, that seems to be where the Timberwolves’ front office is focused.

Rotation    PG                    SG                               SF                             PF                                     C
Starters:    Mike Conley  Anthony Edwards  Jaden McDaniels   Karl-Anthony Towns   Rudy Gobert
Backups:   TBD                 Wendell Moore Jr.  Josh Minott            Kyle Anderson               Naz  Reid
Reserves  Jordan McL.   Ryan Clark*             Leonard Miller *  Nathan Knight**            TBD

Three Two-Way Contracts: C Luka Garza (tendered) and F Matt Ryan (tendered), 1 contract TBD
* denotes rookie to be signed
** Team rescinded team option

While you can argue over the promotion of forward Josh Minott to a backup role at small forward, keep in mind that he was drafted with Wendell Moore Jr. a year ago, and is likely the first player due for consideration. Of course, if rookie Leonard Miller pans out, Josh Minott could have one helluva battle for playing time this year. And also keep in mind that rookie guard Ryan Clark is rehabbing, and is unlikely to compete for the Timberwolves in any meaningful role this season until on or about the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline.

While the Timberwolves did re-sign Naz Reid, who will likely enhance his minutes by playing in both the center and the power forward role for the team, the team’s decision to part ways with Taurean Prince has placed a new quandary into the team’s rotations.

III: Minnesota Timberwolves must fill an additional roster slot

Without Taurean Prince, the Timberwolves’ depth chart has been weakened: Veteran leadership, versatility on both ends of the basketball court, and perhaps worst of all, three-point shooting. Of course, the roster is still quite fluid, as there are several decisions remaining to be made.

So how will the Timberwolves’ depth chart fill? Well, I would be very surprised if the team does not bring back surprising wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker in some capacity. NAW was a surprisingly effective starter in the NBA Playoffs for the Timberwolves, with only two dozen or so games under his belt.

Timberwolves roster remains a mystery

The biggest ‘void’ in the Timberwolves’ current depth chart is at the backup point guard role. Filling that vacancy will require surgical precision for the Timberwolves, as the optimal candidate must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Be young enough to parallel the career of SG Anthony Edwards
2. Be versatile enough to play and defend both the 1 and 2
3. Be able to back up veteran PG Mike Conley Jr.
4. Have enough upside to start at the point guard position
5. Have a solid perimeter shot
6. Better than average upside

While that is possible, finding this player takes on a bit of a scavenger hunt, as there is any number of teams who are scrambling to identify and add a similarly described player to their own roster.

With all of the variables that have yet to be determined for the overall Timberwolves roster, questions remain and will likely remain until we get a full roster to assess and analyze, which could be a month or more away.

II: Timberwolves may make a significant move in the NBA Free Agency market

The Minnesota Timberwolves roster is not complete right now. And in all honesty, this team may not be blessed with a full roster until after the NBA Summer League competition ends in a month. That is particularly true for the team’s three open Two-Way contracts.

But the Timberwolves may be creating a war chest to make a newsworthy NBA signing.  Not a headliner, like the trade for Rudy Gobert that rocked the entire NBA trade market a year ago. But one that could be just as significant for the Timberwolves roster and Timberwolves depth chart for years to come.

If you missed the obvious revelation that hit the Minnesota Timberwolves’ entire organization over the course of the 2022-23 NBA season, here it is. SG Anthony Edwards is the real deal, a bonafide NBA star who not only generates the type of production on a basketball court that separates him from other players but that mindset of ferocity and domination that will not let him rest until he wins an NBA Championship.

Are Timberwolves up to the task?

Now it’s up to the Timberwolves’ front office to match him up with the right point guard who can help Edwards form one of the NBA’s best backcourts going forward. Who might that be? Well, I don’t think that Jordan McLaughlin fits the purchase order.

While he knows the Timberwolves system, he has regressed significantly with perimeter shooting. And while he can spark the team from the bench when backing up D’Angelo Russell, he is less effective as a positive catalyst when taking over for Mike Conley Jr.

The latest Timberwolves rumors report that the team was in active negotiations with the Washington Wizards in an attempt to acquire either PG Monte Morris or Deion Wright. While the Timberwolves may walk away from the bargaining table empty-handed, it does reveal the level of PG that the Timberwolves are targeting right now.

I: Taurean Prince could still re-sign to the Timberwolves roster

Believe it or not, the Timberwolves can still negotiate with Taurean Prince and his agent to sign him to a new contract. After all, he was one of the most dependable perimeter shooters on the team, he is versatile enough to play effectively at the 3, 4, or 5 positions. And best of all, he is well-liked by his coaches and his teammates.

So why go through those gyrations just to bring him back? Well, there are some good reasons to do so.

For starters, Taurean Prince was not a picture of health for the Minnesota Timberwolves through the 2022-23 NBA season. In fact, if you toss his 2017-18 NBA season of 82 games, he has averaged just 57 games per season. That is just over two-thirds of a regular 82-game season and has been an average of six out of his seven NBA years.

Just for comparison,  Taurean Prince missed 28 out of 82 games for the Timberwolves last season alone. When he did compete, he was good. He averaged 22.1 MPG, 9.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG. But missing so many games is the rule, not the exception with Prince. And with the team developing younger players who can slide into the power forward role, there are fewer game minutes to direct his way.

Of course, the Timberwolves can still make great use of his veteran presence in postseason play, and a new role would likely be less demanding over a grueling regular season, optimally having him fresh and ready for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

That is where the Timberwolves roster and depth chart stand today. Is there more work to do? Of course. But let’s not fret about the mortar that has yet to be applied, and lose sight of the brick wall that this Timberwolves team has become. The Timberwolves have a plan, and I for one love what I see from them already.