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Entering the 2022-23 NBA campaign, plenty of folks had high expectations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. After trading for All-NBA center Rudy Gobert in the 2022 offseason, it seemed like the Wolves had a legitimate chance to make a deep playoff run this spring and even represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals in June.
Although fast forward to the current day, and it's evident that the Wolves fell short of expectations. Karl-Anthony Towns being limited to just 29 appearances during the regular season due to a calf injury certainly didn't help matters, but the Wolves ended the year with a mediocre 42-40 record and barely squeaked into the Western Conference playoffs as the eighth and final seed. Nikola Jokic and the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets then made quick work of the Timberwolves, as they knocked them out in five games in the first round of the postseason.
But despite the Minnesota Timberwolves' underwhelming 2022-23 season, a few shrewd free-agency moves here and there this summer could make them a contender in the Western Conference in 2024. With all of that said, let's look at the two best Timberwolves targets in free agency after the 2023 NBA Draft:
2 best Timberwolves targets in free agency after 2023 NBA Draft
Josh Hart
The Timberwolves are a bit light on depth at the small forward spot. Kyle Anderson is a rock-solid all-around player, but he's a fringe starter at best. So the Timberwolves would be wise to add a small forward to their roster in free agency this summer. And one name who makes a lot of sense for the Timberwolves to target is New York Knicks forward Josh Hart.
Hart is like Kyle Anderson on steroids — he's a defensive-minded player who does a little bit of everything on the court.
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Defensively, Josh Hart is an elite wing defender who takes pride in guarding the best player on the other team night in and night out. A major part of what makes Hart such an impactful defender is his knack for causing deflections and steals, as he averaged 1.4 steals per game with the Knicks.
Josh Hart's stingy defense may be what he's best known for, but he's much more than a lockdown defender. He's also a great rebounder (Hart averaged 7.0 rebounds per game with the Knicks), playmaker (he averaged 3.8 assists), and three-point shooter (51.8% three-point percentage as a Knick).
Hart's ability to positively impact the game in so many ways is flat-out unique, and thus the Minnesota Timberwolves should do in all their power to obtain him this summer.
Torrey Craig
Phoenix Suns forward Torrey Craig is another 3-and-d forward who makes sense as a trade target if the Timberwolves miss out on Hart (there will likely be several teams pursuing Hart in free agency). Craig is nowhere near as good of a playmaker or player, for that matter, but he's a solid two-way player nonetheless.
Craig shot 39.5% from behind the three-point arc on 3.2 attempts per game with the Suns this season. And defensively, he averaged 1.4 combined stocks — steals and blocks. More specifically, he averaged 0.8 blocks and 0.6 steals.
At this juncture, it's unclear who the Minnesota Timberwolves will target in free agency this summer. But what's already abundantly clear is that the Timberwolves should target Knicks forward Josh Hart, and if they miss out on him, they should target Suns forward Torrey Craig.
