Ranking 4 Tiers of Free-Agent Power Forwards That Fit the Timberwolves Roster

Now that LeBron James has signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been forced to put pen to paper on whatever Plan B is to fill out their roster.

The Wolves will still add at least one player this offseason, and given the imbalance of the current roster, the newest Wolf will almost certainly be an addition to the frontcourt. Given the state of the late-July free agent market, however, any move is highly unlikely to be a plug-and-play, starting-caliber solution.

While the Wolves can certainly field several permutations of a capable five-man unit, nearly all of them could be filed under the category of small-ball lineups. And even if that’s the route that president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and the Wolves’ front office would like to go, and even if head coach Chris Finch is comfortable playing much smaller overall this season than he has over the previous few years, having something resembling a "normal" sized lineup to field is still a must.

Let’s place several of the remaining frontcourt options in a variety of buckets, beginning with the ever-thinning “starting caliber” group.

Potential starter: Jonathan Kuminga

Of the remaining free agents, Jonathan Kuminga is the only player who would likely insist on having a shot at being a regular starter as a condition of signing a veteran minimum contract. Of course, that sort of demand could very well be why he remains unsigned; he averaged 15.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game from 2023 to 2025 with Golden State but was shipped to Atlanta at the trade deadline after a tumultuous Warriors tenure. The Hawks don't appear to be too concerned about letting him walk, either.

Potential rock-the-boat concerns aside, Kuminga is essentially a high-volume scorer who is a below-average three-point shooter, defender, and rebounder at the power forward spot. But what the Wolves need is a connector—ideally a decisive offensive player who will keep the ball moving and knock down open threes when the opportunity is there, contribute on the glass and play a strong team role on defense between defensive stalwarts Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels.

In other words, Kuminga is almost exactly the opposite of what the Wolves want out of their fifth starter.

Verdict: Not happening.

Rotation option with upside: Jeremy Sochan

Jeremy Sochan was the No. 9 overall pick by the then-lowly San Antonio Spurs in 2022 and played out of position for the next couple of years a pair of 22-win squads. He had some bright spots and showed plenty of promise but ultimately was edged out of the rotation as the Spurs became competitive. Last season, San Antonio let him go midseason and Sochan signed on with New York to sit on their bench during their title run.

He’s an athletic, 6-foot-9 forward with a 7-foot wingspan and a diverse skill-set. While the three-point skill hasn’t developed (just 28.6% on 2.2 attempts per game for his career), there’s a ton of versatility when it comes to his connective skills: a strong passer, solid cutter, and switchable defender.

All that time spent functioning as a point guard in the Spurs’ offense surely helped Sochan’s overall development, even if it verified that he shouldn’t be cast as a point forward in a viable NBA offense. But the bet here is that Sochan could play a rotational role in the frontcourt, and at barely 23 years old, there is still real upside that the Wolves could develop.

Verdict: Yes, please.

Not seeing another option out there at PF for Wolves right now that could come in and be relied upon to start right away. Told there’s no trade on the horizon. I think they could maybe add another piece but it would be more for depth and competition than coronation
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) July 24, 2026

Frontcourt “competition”: Trendon Watford, Nick Richards

Per The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, the Wolves may be seeking “depth and competition.” In other words, not a shoo-in starter such as Kuminga, and not necessarily clear-cut depth pieces (which we’ll get to in a moment). What’s in between are likely fringey rotation players who would compete with incumbents like Trey Lyles, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Jaylen Clark for minutes.

Trendon Watford played a rotation role for Philadelphia after four seasons combined between subpar teams in Portland and Brooklyn. He’s been relatively consistent as a competitive defender and solid rebounder despite being slightly undersized. Offensively, he’s a decent connective piece with a three-point shot that has gone up and down in effectiveness, settling at 32.5% thus far in his career at just over one attempt per game. Overall, he’d bring a toughness and professionalism to the roster, even if nothing in the skillset stands out as “must-have.”

Nick Richards is a center, but he’s probably the best all-around remaining big man of the bunch in terms of players who would command a rotation role. However, he doesn’t solve the need at the four and doesn’t have positional flexibility, which the Wolves clearly value. Signing Richards would also be a sign of a lack of trust in this year’s version of Joan Beringer.

Richards is a fantastic rebounder and solid rim protector. He’s a legit 6-foot-11 and can play a functional rotation role. He’s not Gobert as a defender or screener, but he’s closer to that archetype than Beringer. Richards also doesn’t stretch the floor, although he began to add a three-point shot last season for the first time in his career.

Ultimately, it seems unlikely that the Wolves would settle on Richards, or any other center that is so positionally limited given the current construction of the roster.

Verdict: Watford would be fine, if uninspiring. Richards is likely not a fit.

Veteran depth: Nicolas Batum, Kevin Love, Kelly Olynyk

There are plenty of long-in-the-tooth big men on the market, but these three fit the Wolves’ potential needs more than anyone else, and all three of them likely still have quality rotation minutes remaining in their careers.

Nicolas Batum turns 38 years old in December but has played a rotation role on contenders for years, including 17.5 minutes per game each of the last two seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers. He can still shoot the rock, converting at 39% or greater from outside the arc in every healthy season since 2018 – and more than 90% of his shot attempts over the last two seasons came from three-point range. He’s still a solid team defender and obviously an intelligent connector on offense but doesn’t bring anything else to the table at all, including on the glass.

Kevin Love has been a fringe rotation contributor going back to when he joined the Miami Heat midseason in 2022—but when he plays, he still makes threes and grabs rebounds. He’s also a good screener and passer and understands what his role is in an offense at age 38. He probably isn’t an every-night rotation option but could play next to Gobert or function as a small-ball five in limited minutes.

Kelly Olynyk was a regular rotation contributor as recently as two years ago but only played in a little more than half the games with San Antonio last season. He isn’t quite the floor-spacer as either Batum or Love and he’s not nearly as effective of a contributor on the glass as Love. But he’s a good screener and still likely a positive contributor in limited minutes.

The biggest catch with Olynyk is that some of the above limitations could make it challenging to play alongside Gobert, although he could potentially be an interesting match next to Beringer in the frontcourt if the Wolves wanted to try having a massive second-unit as an option. He’s a center first, but the floor-stretching capability makes him viable as a potential depth piece.

Verdict: Rank them Love, Batum, and Olynyk–but they would all be solid depth pieces.

Ultimately, the Wolves could go in any of the above directions when it comes to filling out their roster. The bet here is that they simply add a depth piece and try to cobble together a variety of permutations of the existing, largely small-ball lineups available on the current roster. Prepare for an addition in line with Love, Batum, Olynyk, or one of the even deeper cuts out there that fall into the same category, such as Drew Eubanks, Hunter Tyson, Bismack Biyombo, or Duop Reath.

Add us as a preferred source on Google