Today (Tuesday, June 30) marks the official start of free agency. While the Minnesota Timberwolves don't have much money to spend, they need to upgrade their power forward depth.
After trading Naz Reid and Julius Randle, the Wolves are primed to start Jaden McDaniels at the four, which, in a vacuum, is fine. Still, it will be vital to find someone who can play the power forward position outside of him. As the Wolves try to become true title contenders, they can't have any glaring flaws. Currently, their forward depth is just that, and it must be addressed.
It was originally reported after the LaMelo Ball trade that the Wolves would have access to the tax mid-level exception worth just over $6 million a year. However, updated projections following the Wolves' signing of Jaylen Clark indicate that they will be limited to signing minimum-salary players without some financial maneuvering.
This puts the Wolves in a tricky spot, as they try to upgrade a major roster flaw. Without a doubt, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly will have to get creative.
The Timberwolves must sign a power forward
Given the Timberwolves' need for forward depth and lack of spending power, Minnesota could be best served by making a trade with their package centered around Josh Green and Terrence Shannon Jr.
If the Wolves can pull off a trade for a quality rotational power forward such as P.J. Washington, then the need for a free agent signing decreases significantly.
As it stands, though, there's no reason to believe that such a deal is in the works (I'd love to be wrong). Thus, the Wolves should sign a free agent to fill this void. While the Wolves don't have much spending power, it would be wise to act swiftly to ensure they get whoever they deem to be a top-tier veteran.
Even if the Wolves pull off an unexpected trade, forward depth is needed, meaning an early free agent signing would be ideal.
I suppose simply re-signing Kyle Anderson could be an option to fill this void. Listen, Anderson's playmaking, versatility, and toughness make him an easy player to root for. Nevertheless, the Wolves need more shooting from their frontcourt since neither Rudy Gobert nor Joan Beringer can space the floor. As such, signing an external free agent is the best option.
Kenrich Williams and Marvin Bagley stand out as two hyper-realistic targets for Minnesota. Both players could be solid bench contributors. However, to me, Williams' spacing and experience on a championship-winning Oklahoma City Thunder team make him especially intriguing.
And while the Wolves don't have much money to spend, they can offer players a chance to win and earn meaningful minutes. Could this help them land a free agent above this tier of Williams and Bagley? One could only hope. It's worth noting that, according to The Stein Line, the Wolves have expressed interest in John Collins -- signing him to a minimum deal feels like a pipe dream, but stranger things have happened.
Regardless, all Wolves fans will be patiently waiting to see how the team addresses its biggest flaw on the first day of free agency.
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