Should Wolves look to reunite with an old friend on the buyout market?

The Timberwolves have been in the thick of the NBA trade rumor mill for the past month. With just three weeks to go until the Feb. 5 trade deadline, the situation remains complicated for Minnesota, especially with recent breakout performances from Bones Hyland and Joan Beringer. If Tim Connelly doesn't want to break up a core that seems to be gelling well at this point in the season, could Minnesota look to the buyout market instead of making a trade?

That was the suggestion of KSTP's Darren Wolfson on a recent edition of SKOR North's Flagrant Howls podcast, where he said to keep an eye on a former Wolves rotation player as a potential option following the trade deadline.

“What happens with Kyle Anderson in Utah?" said Wolfson. "Does Utah buy out Kyle Anderson? We can have as much back-and-forth on the Bulls as we want. And yeah, do I think there is absolutely some dialogue that has taken place? Sure. But I think the name we should talk about more than anyone is Kyle Anderson."

Anderson, 32, has played sparingly for the 14-26 Utah Jazz this season, appearing in just 13 of the Jazz's 40 games played. In fact, from December 16 to January 7, he played just once, lighting up the Clippers to the tune of 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist in 31 minutes played.

With Utah's season going nowhere, Anderson is a prime candidate to be a late season buyout, and the Wolves would have an opportunity to pounce on a player they already know well if that ends up being the case.

"I’m just telling you, keep an eye on that situation," continued Wolfson. "Really, I am just saying, make sure Kyle Anderson, the next three weeks, is very much on your radar. I’ll leave it at that right now. We understand the deficiencies of his game, but he would absolutely help these guys. And it’s hard for me to see him finishing the year in Utah.”

Plenty of Wolves trade rumors over the past month have focused on the need to acquire a guard. Bones Hyland's emergence off the bench has, to an extent, put to rest the feeling that Minnesota absolutely needs to address the backcourt before the trade deadline.

If Hyland continues to grow into his role off the bench, Connelly could be convinced he doesn't need to break up parts of a roster that has grown into a legit title contender again. Minnesota has won 7 of its last 10 games, including an impressive 139-106 blasting of the Bucks on Tuesday without the likes of Anthony Edwards or Rudy Gobert.

Continuity was the backbone of a Pacers team that made a surprise run to the Finals last season. Minnesota didn't make any significant changes over the summer, instead choosing to build on the familiarity of a roster that reached the Western Conference Finals last season. That's worked well so far this season, with Minnesota currently sitting fourth in the West, just a half-game back of San Antonio for third and a game back of Denver for second in the conference.

In Anderson, Minnesota would be bringing back a player who has previous experience in Minnesota with a large chunk of the current roster, having played for the Wolves from 2022 to 2024. Anderson would provide another steady veteran presence off the bench for a Minnesota team that needs to continue to evolve its second unit into one it can rely more on during games. He's a smart player on both ends of the floor who could help provide some defense when Gobert is off the court.

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