With 30 games now under their belts, the Minnesota Timberwolves are over a third of the way through their 82-game schedule. The February 6 trade deadline stands less than six weeks away, and the Wolves' front office is likely carefully considering where to focus their efforts. There is now a solid sample size of games played where the team's decision-makers can make confident judgements about what their biggest areas of need are.
Is a trade already in the works for the Timberwolves? Possibly. Their move to waive PJ Dozier on Saturday could have been a tactic to free up a roster spot in advance of a potential multi-player trade where they would need an opening. But although the idea of upgrading Minnesota's roster is exciting, there is no way to say for sure what the team's intentions are at this point.
What we do know for certain is that the Timberwolves are showing interest in one particular high-profile name from overseas: Lonnie Walker IV. League insider Marc Stein reported the news on Sunday evening, saying that Walker has been drawing interest from at least five NBA clubs, one of which being Minnesota.
Lonnie Walker IV is drawing NBA interest and can be bought out of his Žalgiris contract in the EuroLeague by any NBA team until Feb. 18.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 30, 2024
Potential suitors said to include Sixers, Wolves, Heat, Nuggets and Celtics. Walker went to camp with Boston.
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The Timberwolves have reportedly shown interest in Lonnie Walker
After participating in preseason training camp with the Boston Celtics, Walker was waived and did not receive another offer from an NBA team. This was a bit of a surprising development given his skill level, and he subsequently signed overseas with Žalgiris Kaunas, which is based in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Now, Walker is seeking a return to the United States with an NBA club. According to Stein, Lonnie can be bought out of his current contract with Žalgiris up until Feburary 18, 2025. Along with the Timberwolves, the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics are supposedly also showing interest in Walker's services.
With all that in mind, if Minnesota is truly interested in adding Walker on a standard NBA contract, perhaps that was the reason they opted to waive PJ Dozier. If they wanted to sign Lonnie, they would likely do so using a deal comparable to that of Dozier's $2.6 million minimum contract. Time will tell whether this is the case or not.