Training camp for the Minnesota Timberwolves is just a little over a week away. With the Wolves’ trip to Abu Dhabi set for the first week of October, they will be getting an early start to preseason over most other teams.
As a result, time is running out for the team’s training camp roster to be finalized. One of the final additions was made official over the weekend when the Timberwolves signed former Houston Rockets guard Diashen Nix to an Exhibit-10 deal.
Nix’s presence at training camp will give Minnesota one additional option to look at when they make roster cuts and carve out the full 15-man roster for the regular season. But it could also be a telltale sign of the end for one Timberwolves player: Jordan McLaughlin.
The Timberwolves’ signing of Nix could mean Jordan McLaughlin will be gone
As much as it will pain many Wolves fans who have grown to love him, the reality is that McLaughlin may not have much time left in the Twin Cities. This already seemed to be a possibility, but signing Daishen Nix just made it increasingly likely.
Let’s not sugar coat it: Jordan McLaughlin had an incredibly rough season in 2022-23. Coming off the 2022 playoffs where he provided surprisingly good minutes and shot 70% from the floor, J-Mac’s shooting tanked last year and he shot the worst percentage of his career from three-point range.
This alone made him expendable. But what really works against McLaughlin is his height. At 5-foot-11, J-Mac is part of a dying breed of NBA players under six feet tall. It is no surprise that Daishen Nix’s significantly larger frame of 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds is much more appealing to Minnesota.
The Timberwolves are clearly looking for additional size at guard. While McLaughlin has provided some solid minutes off the bench over the last few years, do not be surprised to see the team move on from him in favor of Nix going forward.