The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Trey Kaufman-Renn with the 59th pick in June's draft, and now it looks like he's heading back to college for his sixth year. In late August, it was reported that TKR was seeking a sixth year of college eligibility.
Over the summer, the NCAA introduced a rule that granted collegiate athletes five years of eligibility. After this, Kaufman-Renn opted to seek an extra year of eligibility since he took a redshirt year in the 2021-22 season and thus didn't actually play five years of college hoops.
Now, per Nathan Baird, "Trey Kaufman-Renn's temporary restraining order against the NCAA has been granted, allowing the former Purdue star and Minnesota Timberwolves draft pick to join a college team while awaiting another hearing for a preliminary injunction."
To be clear, this doesn't mean that TKR is 100 percent going back to school. Baird noted that a separate hearing will take place to officially determine whether Kaufman-Renn can play in the 2026-27 season. Regardless, this is a major step forward for Kaufman-Renn to return to college.
Following this hearing, Kaufman-Renn thanked Purdue for a great college career, hinting that he will attend a new school.
Trey Kaufman-Renn going back to school means very little for the Timberwolves
Obviously, this is an unprecedented era of college. It's incredibly weird and frankly nonsensical for someone who was just drafted to attempt to go back to school.
From a pure basketball standpoint, though, there's not a ton of implications for the Timberwolves.
Kaufman-Renn has yet to sign a contract with the Wolves, whether a two-way or standard contract. Still, it's worth noting that the Timberwolves will retain his draft rights. As such, if he indeed returns to college, this will essentially be a domestic draft and stash.
Even if TKR did agree to a contract, he wouldn't have had anything close to a substantial role with the Timberwolves. In NBA Summer League, Kaufman-Renn averaged just 12.7 minutes.
Despite recently selecting him in the second-round it's clear that the Wolves don't view him as a significant part of their future. It's possible that the Wolves decide not to keep him around, even though they have his rights.
Additionally, from Kaufman-Renn's perspective, seeking a more lucrative financial opportunity in college is logical. Kaufman-Renn noted that the Timberwolves understand the situation and support his decision to return to college.
Assuming that Kaufman-Renn officially gets cleared to play college basketball, the Timberwolves can watch from afar to see whether he can add some more NBA skills.
As a 6-foot-9 forward, Kaufman-Renn has ideal NBA size. Likewise, he has ample strength to crash the glass, guard forwards, and punish mismatches. Playmaking and 3-point shooting are two clear areas of improvement for Kaufman-Renn to become a legit NBA player one day. Notably, he shot 28.1 percent from deep in college and barely had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.
Look, developing these skills as a 24-year-old in college won't help him immediately earn an NBA role. Regardless, it would bode well for his NBA outlook.
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