The Minnesota Timberwolves made two selections in the second round of June’s draft. With the 33rd overall pick, they selected Duke guard Isaiah Evans. Twenty-six picks later, Minnesota took Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Even though the team needs more help at power forward, Kaufman-Renn’s primary position, he may be used much like Rocco Zikarsky was last season. That means pretty much not at all outside of the G League.
Kaufman-Renn could spend a lot of his time in Iowa
As the second-to-last pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, not much should be expected from Kaufman-Renn in his rookie year. He hasn’t yet signed his rookie contract, which is a little concerning. There is a strong chance, though, that he will begin on a two-way contract.
The Timberwolves, close to the second apron, could also sign him to a standard contract, as they could pay him less than the veteran minimum as a late second-round selection. However, their handling of Zikarsky last year, who was another late second-round pick, could be a blueprint for TKR's rookie season.
Taken with the 45th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Zikarsky spent all of last season on a two-way contract. The 7-foot-3 center made 43 total appearances for the Iowa Wolves but just five for the Timberwolves. His NBA regular-season debut didn’t come until February 22.
With the Timberwolves expected to be among the top teams in the Western Conference, it’s hard to see a role for Kaufman-Renn as a rookie with the NBA club. It’s somewhat telling that he received the 10th-most minutes per game for the team during July’s summer league action. Spending a lot of time with Iowa could be the route the team takes with him.
Now, it needs to be mentioned that, as a four-year college player, Kaufman-Renn will turn 24 on August 19. That is substantially older than Zikarsky, who spent all of last season at just 19. Still, it’s hard to find a pathway to playing time. Even at power forward, Minnesota brought in 10-year veteran Trey Lyles, who, in all likelihood, would receive minutes over Kaufman-Renn.
The 6-foot-9 rookie experienced a lot of winning at Purdue, and the Boilermakers reached the Elite Eight last season. A 2024-25 First Team All-Big Ten member, Kaufman-Renn was strangely less involved in the offense in 2025-26, which may have caused him to nearly go undrafted.
Even Evans, an early second-round pick, is expected to have difficulty cracking the rotation. Maybe Kaufman-Renn exceeds everyone’s expectations, and Chris Finch has no choice but to play him. Just don’t anticipate that happening, at least in his rookie year. That is exactly what happened with Zikarsky last season.
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