Minnesota has spent this offseason completely reorienting its roster to contend. The Timberwolves brought in LaMelo Ball, adding a dynamic ball-handler alongside Anthony Edwards, but the move came at a price. They let go of Naz Reid and Julius Randle. Then, Minnesota beat the Los Angeles Lakers to sign Jonathan Kuminga, who’ll slot straight into the starting lineup. Even after all that movement, though, the front office is still not done.
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They’re bringing in Gonzaga’s all-time leading scorer (2,307 points), who was initially undrafted but has worked his way up from the G League over the years. He spent last season with JJ Redick, Luka Doncic, and the Los Angeles Lakers, even garnering public praise from the head coach.
“The Minnesota Timberwolves and Drew Timme have agreed to a deal,” Michael Scotto of HoopsHype posted on X. “Timme will compete for a spot in training camp.”
Why does this training camp move matter? Let us first understand some context. For the 26-year-old, it represents another opportunity after an uneven start to his pro career. Last November, LA showed enough confidence in him to keep him around on a two-way contract. Redick played Timme in 27 games, averaging 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists while shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 44 percent from three.
Timme’s best game came against the Portland Trail Blazers, when he scored 21 points and shot a clean 9 of 12 from the field and 3 of 4 from three. That game left former team leader LeBron James and Redick quite impressed.
“Oh, [Timme] was great,” Redick told the media. “He certainly earned a spot coming off last night, where he played phenomenal, and you get the clipboard, just we had talked about it, so I knew it was coming.”
This wasn’t the first time Redick had spoken about Timme. When LA converted his G League contract to a two-way deal in November, the coach called him “tremendously skilled” and hinted at using him as an offensive hub.
“Haven’t really had a big here as, like a hub, as like a passing guy that you can kind of play out of the high post with,” Redick said. “AD [Anthony Davis], to an extent, but a lot of the stuff we ran for him in those spots was to get him a shot and not to be a playmaker. But I think the thing that’s kind of underrated with [Timme] is his defensive rebounding is like really good, particularly for his size. He’s produced at every level, and looking forward to coaching him.”
Timme was also a force in the G League with the South Bay Lakers last season, averaging 23.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, with occasional game time in the NBA. But Timme’s fate changed when the playoffs arrived…
According to Jovan Buha, the Lakers’ decision came down to Timme or Nick Smith Jr. LA opted for the latter because they prioritized roster balance, ball-handling, and perimeter creation over frontcourt depth. It ended Timme’s path because of his two-way status (postseason ineligible). Given the roster overhaul the Lakers underwent this offseason, he also didn’t receive a qualifying offer.
Now, Timme gets a fresh start in Minnesota.
The Timberwolves have a clear need for additional frontcourt depth after moving on from Reid and Randle. Reid had become a key offensive weapon for his ability to stretch the floor, while Randle provided another physical scorer and playmaker. Losing both left Minnesota with a significantly different rotation heading into the new campaign.
Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky give them plenty of size and upside. Beringer, the team’s 2025 first-round pick, stands 6-foot-11 and has the athleticism to develop into a reliable rotation piece. Zikarsky takes it another step at 7-foot-3. However, both have just about 350 minutes of NBA experience combined…
Timme enters training camp with a chance to earn a place in a completely reshaped frontcourt. Zikarsky, Zyon Pullin and Enrique Freeman currently occupy the two-way spots. It is expected that Timme will compete for Freeman’s current spot because his offensive offering, especially shooting, is limited.
The Timberwolves are no longer relying on the group that helped them compete near the top of the Western Conference in recent seasons. They want to win it this time. That makes the opportunity for players like Timme more significant than it might appear on paper.
Minnesota needs depth behind its established pieces, and training camp will determine whether the 26-year-old can turn his opportunity into a permanent spot. Timme will have to first compete with KJ Martin, who is also on a training camp deal.
Martin spent five seasons in the NBA from 2020 to 2025, averaging 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three-point range across 309 games, including 77 starts.
The former second-round pick is known for his athleticism and spent last season playing in China. He is looking to earn his way back into the NBA with the Timberwolves, setting up an interesting battle with Timme during training camp, which begins on September 29.