According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Minnesota Timberwolves have registered interest in several free-agent guards. One of those individuals earned Sixth Man of the Year honors while with the Boston Celtics.
"The Wolves have looked into several candidates for the spot, including Malcolm Brogdon, Cam Payne and Landry Shamet, league sources told The Athletic," reports Krawczynski.
As evidenced by the direction they're looking, Minnesota needs another primary ball handler. That deficiency was most glaring in last season's Western Conference Finals. The pressure applied by the Oklahoma City Thunder resulted in the Timberwolves averaging 17.4 turnovers per game that round. That was more than any other team in the NBA's final four.
Aside from giveaways, Oklahoma City regularly delayed Minnesota from getting into its offense. The combination forced Anthony Edwards to bring the ball up often. Not only did he fall victim to the Thunder's hounding defense, too, but the added fatigue from shouldering that responsibility contributed to him wearing down during the series.
The NBA's top-rated defense remains an in-conference problem standing in the Timberwolves' way. Not having another primary ball handler they could rely on was most costly against the league's reigning champions. However, it's not as if that's the only potential playoff opponent that not addressing this issue could undermine them against.
Regarding Brogdon, the 32-year-old is closing in on a decade in the Association. Next season will be his tenth. While he earned Sixth Man of the Year in his lone season with the Celtics in 2022-23, he hasn't appeared in 40 games since then.
Brogdon spent the 2024-25 campaign in the nation's capital. In 24 tilts with the Washington Wizards, including 13 starts, he averaged 12.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes of floor time.
While his production when in the Wizards' lineup signals what he could potentially provide, it appears Minnesota is more inclined to go in a different direction.
Timberwolves reportedly prefer to bring back a familiar face
According to Krawczynski, Brogdon may have to search elsewhere to find his next NBA home.
"All indications are that Bones Hyland is the front-runner to get that final spot, league sources said," states Krawczynski.
Hyland, who turns 25 in September, joined Minnesota on a two-way deal in February. He appeared in four games with the parent club. The four-year veteran produced 1.3 points and 1.0 assists per contest while logging 4.3 minutes of playing time.
While one might scoff based on those numbers, he seems to have shown the Timberwolves enough to be considered the favorite for their final roster spot.