Next move Timberwolves must make after missing out on LeBron James in free agency

The Minnesota Timberwolves took their pursuit of LeBron James until the very end, but James decided to join forces with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown on the Philadelphia 76ers. The Timberwolves have been in constant search of the missing piece that would take them over the hump after four consecutive playoff heartbreaks, and they must have felt that James would be that guy.

Minnesota already remodeled the roster earlier in the offseason, trading away Naz Reid in the deal that brought in LaMelo Ball. They also dumped Julius Randle on the Brooklyn Nets to create even more financial wiggle room, which enabled the team to bring back Ayo Dosunmu on a five-year, $112 million contract.

James’ arrival would have come at the exact right moment, as he would have given Minnesota a player who could fill in the gaps at such a high level without having to break the bank.

But now that James is off to the City of Brotherly Love, the Timberwolves have to think of other ways to bolster the roster. It’s evident that their frontcourt is in need of another piece or two, and they have to be working the phones to try and fill the void left behind by Reid and Randle’s departures.

Timberwolves’ next move: Bolster the frontcourt

The Timberwolves built their contending identity since 2022 around having size and strength. They set out to overwhelm other teams with brute force, and it’s worked for the most part.

They went through some growing pains during Rudy Gobert’s first year on the roster, which shifted Karl-Anthony Towns to the four, but in Gobert’s second season, the front office’s vision came to life — as they built a team that was tailor-made to dethrone the then-reigning champion Denver Nuggets, and that is exactly what they did.

However, the second apron complicated matters for the Timberwolves, and they felt as though they had to duck the second apron. They then dealt Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Randle, at the very least, still allowed Minnesota to play some supersized basketball, and they made it back to the Conference Finals in 2025.

But after the Timberwolves lost rather convincingly to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs, the front office decided to change course. They are opting to surround star man Anthony Edwards with as much speed, shooting, and ballhandling as possible, all while trying to remain competitive on the defensive end.

As long as Gobert is on the roster, Minnesota should at least have an above-average defense. But the Timberwolves lost so much size this offseason, and a good chunk of their identity in the process. While change is not inherently bad, it’s not inherently good, either.

Maybe Timberwolves president Tim Connelly believes that a dynamic starting five consisting of Edwards, Ball, Gobert, Dosunmu, and Jaden McDaniels would help paper over whatever cracks losing two of their best big men might create. But the teams to beat in the Western Conference have so much size that they might end up being unequipped to handle some of those matchups with the loss of Reid and Randle.

Moreover, having McDaniels at the four actually robs the Timberwolves of one of their greatest strengths — having him to defend the best perimeter player from the opposition. He is going to be tasked to defend the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Jamal Murray, just to name a few, and he can’t do that if Minnesota needs him to take on matchups against opposing big men.

Maybe the Timberwolves brass is confident in having Joan Beringer and Trey Lyles as the primary backup bigs. But Lyles didn’t even play in the NBA last season (instead suiting up for Real Madrid in Europe), and Minnesota may be asking too much out of the 19-year-old Beringer who played just 7.9 minutes per game last season.

With all of that said, it’s imperative that the Timberwolves bring in another big man, or perhaps even two. And at the very least, their trade with the Hornets for Ball brought back a piece who could be dangled on the market to fill an area of need, with Josh Green’s salary looming large as an asset.

Who can Minnesota trade Josh Green for?

Green is in the final year of his contract making $14.7 million, and this is precisely the mid-sized contract the Timberwolves could shop on the trade market to bring in a big man. The 25-year-old can be a solid glue guy, but Minnesota has such a loaded depth chart at guard and on the wing that they can afford to trade him away.

The Timberwolves are already above the first apron, so they are limited to 100 percent salary matching. They can at least aggregate players in trades since they are below the second apron, so they have that going for them.

The catch, however, is that there aren’t too many versatile big men or forwards available on the market making $14.7 million or less. The best reasonable options are Day’Ron Sharpe, Derrick Jones Jr., or maybe an old friend in Jarred Vanderbilt.

It’s not likely for the Timberwolves to bring in Sharpe, as they seem to be all-in on Beringer’s development as Gobert’s primary backup. Sharpe is going to be the starting center as well in Brooklyn after Nic Claxton’s departure, making it unlikely for the Brooklyn Nets to trade him away. Plus, Sharpe is strictly a center, so he doesn’t provide the kind of lineup versatility Minnesota needs.

Jones could become a trade candidate for the Los Angeles Clippers now that Kawhi Leonard (at least unofficially at the moment) is on his way to the Toronto Raptors. Rui Hachimura has also arrived as another hybrid forward option, so perhaps swapping Green plus some second-round picks for Jones could be doable for the Timberwolves. Jones is a solid defender on the wing, and he can slide up a position as well.

Maybe bringing in Vanderbilt, someone who’s beloved by Edwards, could be good for the Timberwolves. Vanderbilt knows head coach Chris Finch’s system as well, and in lineups where he’s the lone non-shooter, he could be a force on the defensive end for Minnesota. The Los Angeles Lakers also need some more help on the wing, so perhaps a straight swap between Green and Vanderbilt could work for both teams.

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