5 veterans Timberwolves should target to fill final roster spot
By Will Eudy
The Minnesota Timberwolves are slowly finalizing their roster for the 2022-23 season. With the draft behind us and free agency slowing down, there are only a few moves left to make before the Wolves will be all set for training camp.
On June 30, Minnesota was able to re-sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker, before landing Troy Brown Jr and Shake Milton in free agency. From there, the Timberwolves inked their 2023 second-round pick Jaylen Clark to a two-way deal. Luka Garza will also be returning to the team on a two-way contract.
The Wolves’ roster currently sits at 18 players, two short of the 20-player maximum for the offseason. So with two roster spots still open, Minnesota can add one additional two-way player as well as one more player on a standard contract.
Whoever they end up finding for the final standard deal will have to be a player willing to sign for a deal in the veteran minimum range, since the Timberwolves can only spend a maximum of $2.5 million on that spot. With numerous league vets still unsigned, we looked at five players Minnesota should consider signing to finalize their roster.
The Wolves still have one roster spot open (and a third two-way slot).
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) July 7, 2023
To stay under the tax, the Wolves can spend up to $2.5M on that final roster spot. Likely a veteran minimum contract, which carries a $2M cap hit. https://t.co/FyPPWYN6zI
Minnesota should be targeting these 5 veterans for the final roster spot:
1. JaMychal Green
A playoff-tested player through and through, JaMychal Green has been in the postseason in every year of his career but one. Earning his stripes with the Memphis Grizzlies in the latter half of the 2010s, Green solidified himself as a versatile player able to be utilized in many different lineups.
He has proven his abilities as a stout defender with a high feel for the game, and is generally much more valuable in a playoff setting than in the regular season. Green has logged three separate postseasons of shooting over 40% from three across playoff runs with multiple teams.
Like many of the vets listed here, JaMychal will bring experience playing with some of the best players in the world to whatever team he lands with next. He has been in the trenches with all-world talents like Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry.
JaMychal Green may be the only veteran on this list that would actually have a legitimate case to earn more than, say, 15 minutes per game in Minnesota. If the Timberwolves were to make him a last-minute addition to the roster he may seem like a bit of an afterthought. But Green could realistically crack Head Coach Chris Finch’s rotation before long.