5 Minnesota Timberwolves who shouldn't be back next season
By Austin McGee
The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off one of the most impressive seasons in franchise history. After beginning the season as a relative afterthought, the Wolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years.
The Wolves won a franchise, second-best 56 games behind the excellence of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Co. Head coach Chris Finch was a Coach of the Year finalist, Naz Reid won the Sixth Man of the Year award, and Gobert was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Minnesota's future is extremely bright. However, it's likely several cap casualties exist on the current roster. The Wolves are well on their way to salary cap misery. Thus, notable names may hit the trade block as the offseason ensues. Additionally, a handful of the current Wolves' are doubtful to return as their performances don't align with their potential contract value.
Here, we'll highlight five players who shouldn't be back for the 2024-25 season.
5. Jordan McLaughlin
Timberwolves' guard Jordan McLaughlin has been a marginal player for quite some time now. The 6-foot guard averages 4.4 points and 3.1 assists for his career. This past season, the longtime Minnesota guard chipped in 3.5 points and 2.0 assists per game.
McLaughlin's time is likely up after five seasons in Minneapolis. He's a quality spot player, but his roster spot could be better used elsewhere. Typically, a player in McLaughlin's role is a specialist of some sort.
The diminutive guard isn't an above-average contributor in any metric. Sure, he's a good passer, but not exceptional by any means. If he was a knockdown shooter or staunch defender, McLaughlin's spot on the roster would assuredly be safer.
This past season, the former USC Trojan knocked down a career-high 47.2 percent of his 3-pointers. Prior to this year, he connected on just 30.8 percent of his looks from deep. Letting McLaughlin walk will ostensibly be sad, as he's become a mainstay, but the time has come.