The most likely path for the Minnesota Timberwolves to address their glaring need for a power forward is to sign a minimum-contract player in free agency. Jeremy Sochan is perhaps the biggest upside swing the Timberwolves could make on the open market.
Sochan, a lottery pick in 2022, showed promise as a versatile defensive player with some connectivity on offense early in his career with the San Antonio Spurs. However, this past season he fell out of the Spurs' rotation due to his lack of shooting. Notably, Sochan has netted just 28.6 percent of his 3-pointers for his career. Ultimately, he was waived and signed with the Knicks (where he also didn't earn a rotation role).
As August nears, Sochan is one of the few genuine power forwards who is still available in free agency and could be signed on a cheap contract. At 23, I wouldn't rule out the chances of Sochan getting his career back on track.
Unfortunately, though, I don't think taking a flier on him is ideal for the Timberwolves for floor-spacing reasons. Likewise, this flaw alone might be enough for Minnesota to steer clear of him.
Signing Sochan wouldn't be ideal for the Timberwolves
For the last two years, Minnesota's frontcourt has been a clunky fit largely because Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle are non-floor spacers. While Sochan wouldn't be nearly as important to the team, his lack of shooting would prevent him from playing with Gobert or Joan Beringer. And with LaMelo Ball, the Timberwolves don't need his best offensive strength, playmaking. He simply wouldn't be a smooth fit.
Bolstering their playmaking and ball-handling was a key reason why the Timberwolves traded for LaMelo. Regardless, floor spacing was another clear benefit. As we saw over the past two seasons, a non-spacing frontcourt makes life difficult for everyone involved, and that's something the Timberwolves can't afford to replicate.
Sochan's lack of floor spacing is so problematic that carving out any real role is tricky despite his age and flashes of upside. At the end of the day, the modern NBA is really hard for complete non-floor spacers, and that's what Sochan is.
At this stage of free agency, finding a starting-caliber player is highly unlikely. The goal of finding someone who can contribute some minutes isn't that far-fetched, though. Georges Niang is a perfect example of someone who could fit like a glove and provide some solid minutes.
If the Timberwolves opt to sign Sochan, it will be difficult to be mad about the move given his youth and the lack of other high-end options. Nevertheless, his inability to space the floor would likely keep him glued to Minnesota's bench, and this possibility might cause the Timberwolves to look elsewhere for a forward signing.
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