The Minnesota Timberwolves have begun to build upon last season's run to the Western Conference Finals. Their offseason kicked off their offseason with a bang during the 2024 NBA Draft when they traded to the eighth selection to land Kentucky's Rob Dillingham. They also have added Terrance Shannon Jr., Joe Ingles, and PJ Dozier this summer. But Minnesota could stand to bring in a little more depth on the wing. Jae Crowder and Jordan Nwora could be nice bargain-bin free agents the Timberwolves should target to round out their roster.
The experienced Jae Crowder
Jae Crowder has been around the block. He's been on eight different teams in the last seven seasons. But for the most part, he's made a positive impact in each of those stops. His stint in Milwaukee did not go as he would've liked, as he was in and out of the rotation during his time there. But even there he shot better than 37% from three over the past two seasons.
The area where Crowder has slipped a little bit is defensively, which makes sense considering he is now 34 years old. He isn't quite the guy teams automatically placed to defend the opposing team's stars, but he can still help on that end. Crowder is better served as a team defender who can slide up to defend bigger forwards nowadays.
The Wolves could use a defender like this, especially with Kyle Anderson leaving in free agency for the Golden State Warriors. The Wolves still have plenty of size defensively with Karl-Anthony Towns, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert at their disposal. However, their versatility to play small ball lineups disappears a bit without Anderson.
Ingles was a great get for the Wolves, but he isn't the defender that Anderson is. Age is catching up to him too. Crowder still has some juice left to provide a team. The Timberwolves would be wise to give him a look in free agency.
The youthful Jordan Nwora
Crowder would be a great get for Minnesota, but they need to be careful not to add too many older players. Ingles and Mike Conley are both 37 years old and Gobert is 32. It would be understandable if the Wolves opted against a veteran like Crowder for that very reason. If they wanted to go with a younger option on the wing with their final roster spot, Jordan Nwora could be worth a look.
Nwora is more known for his offense than his defense. For his career, he averages just under 17 points on a per-36 minute basis while shooting 37.6% from three. Nwora hasn't gotten many opportunities in four seasons in the NBA, but he has made the most of the few chances he has seen the floor.
Nwora's scoring package could make sense for a team like the Timberwolves. They were the best defensive team in the league during the regular season by a solid margin. Minnesota's cast of excellent defensive players can cover for Nwora's shortcomings on that end of the floor.
But Minnesota was missing an offensive punch in their playoff defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. They had an offensive rating of 112.1 in that series, which would've ranked 24th in the regular season. A lot of pressure was heaped upon Anthony Edwards and he couldn't always create a great shot for himself or his teammates.
Nwora could help with that a bit. He's a fantastic offensive player who can spread the floor and get buckets. And he's young. Nwora is a free agent the Timberwolves should be targeting with their final roster spot.
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