Charlotte Hornets: Minnesota Timberwolves players to target in free agency

As a part of our ongoing series detailing which players the Charlotte Hornets should target during free agency, our attention shifts to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves finished with a 46-36 record, which earned them a 7th-place finish in the Western Conference. After defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in the 7-8 play-in, Minnesota lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs, 4-2.

With a young core of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell, the Pups should be on the rise in the West. If they can snag a key player in the draft or free agency, they may be on their way to a top-four seed in the coming years.

Before that can happen, there are several of their current players heading to free agency in 2022, and several of them could be making their way to Charlotte. Starting with the team options, the Wolves will likely bring back Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell. Although Nowell was not a big part of their nightly rotation, Reid played an instrumental part as the backup to KAT. With team-friendly deals, these two should be returning to Minnesota.

Moving on to the restricted free agents, McKinley Wright, Nathan Knight, and Josh Okogie round out the 2022 class for the Wolves. Wright may not garner much attention from the Hornets’ front office, but Knight and Okogie should receive offers from Charlotte. As a young big and defensive wing, respectively, Knight and Okogie could find a home in North Carolina.

On the unrestricted side of things, Greg Monroe, Jake Layman, and Taurean Prince make up the Wolves’ free agents. Of these three, Prince would make the most sense in Charlotte, but he would have to come on a cheaper contract than his previous one. The Hornets have to re-sign Miles Bridges this offseason, so they cannot afford to spend too much on a backup role, which Prince would likely fill.

While I foresee most of these players staying in Minnesota for the 2022-23 season, a few players, like Knight and Prince, could fill a need that Charlotte has. If the Hornets miss out on a frontcourt player in the draft, they could look to facilitate that need in free agency with either of those guys.