Why Getting Donte DiVicenzo Back Healthy Is So Important to the Timberwolves' Future

After tearing his Achilles, the road back to the court for Donte DiVicenzo will be long, but also important as the Wolves look to build a championship contender.

Apr 5, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) celebrates a three pointer against the Charlotte Hornets in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Game 4 of the Minnesota Timberwolves' first-round series against the Denver Nuggets will be remembered for a long time. Normally, Ayo Dosunmu's 43-point performance in a 112-96 win to go up 3-1 in the series would have been the most consequential aspect of the game. But not that night.

Just a little over a minute into the game, Donte DiVincenzo took a step back with his right leg and tore his Achilles tendon.

The road back to the court for DiVincenzo is set to be a long one. While the Wolves have not given an exact timetable for when they expect DiVincenzo to return, he is expected to miss most or all of the regular season.

The most recent NBA players to suffer an Achilles tear have been Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard, who all got hurt at various points in the 2024-25 season. Tatum came back very quickly, about 10 months after the injury, while Lillard and Haliburton have yet to play and will make their returns to the court likely on opening night of the 2026-27 campaign.

"I'd say everybody's different," DiVincenzo said about the recovery from an Achilles injury. "I can't compare my journey ahead to [Tatum's], but I have talked to him, Tyrese [Haliburton], Damian [Lillard], and they've all offered me different perspectives of different types of conversations."

Getting DiVincenzo back on the court and healthy is incredibly important for the Timberwolves not just for this upcoming season, but for the future as well. DiVincenzo was a huge part of the Wolves' success the past few seasons and continues to be apart of their future plans.

Wolves can hold on to Donte DiVincenzo during recovery in hopes of creating more options down the line

The Wolves have indicated that they do not plan to trade DiVincenzo this offseason. Even with their hole at the power forward spot, one that could be filled in a trade using DiVincenzo's expiring salary, Minnesota does not want to part with a player that they still have in their long-term plans.

While he will be a free agent next offseason, hanging on to DiVincenzo though the season, even if he doesn't play much on the court would have value from a salary cap perspective. It would allow the Wolves to negotiate early with DiVincenzo and offer him a new contract at a salary number that would make sense for both sides and would keep him in Minnesota beyond this campaign.

Retaining DiVicenzo next offseason will be important; not just because Divincenzo is an outstanding player, but also from an asset management point of view. Without a single draft pick they can currently trade, losing a starting-caliber player after not being able to play him for most or all of the 2026-27 season would be less than ideal.

Assuming DiVincenzo can return from his Achilles injury and look similar to the player he was before the injury, the eight-year NBA veteran will immediately put himself back as a core member of this Timberwolves team.

In the meantime, Minnesota has done pretty well filling in their roster needs left by DiVincenzo's absence. They added LaMelo Ball to pair with Anthony Edwards in the backcourt and to make up for the lack of shooting without DiVincenzo.

Also, included the trade for Ball was Josh Green who can be more than just a throw-in to the trade by replacing many of the toughness and grit that DiVicenzo has in his game without needing taking on much of any of the on-ball duties.

Still, the Wolves will miss the bench depth they would have had if DiVincenzo was in the lineup. While he did start last season, the addition of Ball would have moved DiVincenzo into a sixth-man type role that would have put an even large spotlight on his outstanding shooting ability.

It will be a few months before anyone knows if DiVincenzo will be able to play this season. If the guard's on-court work ethic translates to his injury rehab, though, he'll be back on the court as soon as humanly possible.

"Everybody's journey's different and we'll cross that bridge when we get there to see how I feel," DiVicenzo said about eventually returning to the court. "I'm breaking this rehab up into different little segments and just trying to attack it each and every day."