The Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster looks to be finalized for opening night. Yes, they have one roster spot available, but they will likely keep it that way for flexibility and tax purposes. That’s exactly what they did last season.
If that turns out to be the case, the Timberwolves will head into the 2026–27 season with aneed for a third center. Fans shouldn’t be too concerned, though, as there is plenty of time before the trade deadline to decide whether they need to add another big man.
Timberwolves have until February to decide on the need for a third big
Currently, the Wolves will start defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert. Joan Beringer is in line for a much larger role in his second year as the first big man off the bench.
After that, Minnesota has Trey Lyles on its roster. Sure, he can play center, but he’s better suited to play the four and won’t provide nearly the rim protection that the other two do. Second-year player Rocco Zikarsky—who stands at 7-foot-3—is on a two-way contract, but he is unlikely to see much time at the NBA level.
So, it does seem concerning if either Gobert or Beringer gets injured. Beringer performing well in his expanded role wouldn’t surprise anyone, but he hasn’t proven he can do so yet.
Even if Gobert and Beringer remain healthy, the Timberwolves could still make a deal by the February 11 trade deadline. The presumed top two teams in the Western Conference—the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs—have a lot of size. The Denver Nuggets still have Nikola Jokic. The Los Angeles Lakers have Walker Kessler.
Minnesota doesn’t want to find itself at a significant size disadvantage if something happens to one of its two centers between the deadline and the start of the playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets look to have an overabundance of centers. They could decide to trade one away.
Daniel Gafford or Moussa Cissé may become available from Dallas. Moussa Diabaté and Ryan Kalkbrenner are names to watch from Charlotte. By February, other centers will likely be on the trade market.
Sure, it would be nice to have the center depth chart wrapped up by the start of the regular season. They will have plenty of lineup data, including some time with Lyles at center, which will help the Timberwolves determine how aggressively they need to address the need by the trade deadline.
Tim Connelly has also never been shy about making a move, another reason Timberwolves fans shouldn’t be concerned. Connelly will certainly look to add another if one of their centers gets hurt.
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