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Minnesota Timberwolves to rely on two players to replace Nickeil Alexander-Walker, one ‘did not stand out’

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Minnesota Timberwolves have already committed big money in free agency, and one player is expected to be too expensive for them to re-sign, prompting concern over who will replace him.

The Minnesota Timberwolves got busy already this offseason, signing Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid to a five-year, $125 million contract after speculation that he would walk in free agency.

In addition to that, Julius Randle, who had a player option for next season, instead inked a three-year, $100 million contract to stay in the Twin Cities.

Barring a trade, the Wolves will run things back with a core of Reid, Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, and Anthony Edwards.

That group has already proven that they can compete in the Western Conference, making the Conference Finals in each of the last two seasons, although they will be losing a key player this summer, as they simply can no longer afford to pay Nickeil Alexander-Walker his fair market value.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Timberwolves will have to replace Alexander-Walker

In his two and a half seasons with the Timberwolves, Alexander-Walker emerged as a solid shooter and secondary facilitator off the bench, although his real calling card was his defense. He could hold his own against some of the best guards in the Western Conference, skyrocketing his free agency value.

He is expected to have no shortage of suitors this summer, and the Wolves, after committing big money to Randle and Reid, will simply be outbid.

Luckily for the Wolves, second-year guards Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham looked, at times, poised to take the next step.

“They’re going to have to make do with, hopefully for them, the glimpses that we saw from Terrence Shannon Jr. in the Conference Finals, when Chris Finch did decide to give him some legitimate minutes, as a sign of things to come for them,” said ESPN’s Tim MacMahon

Shannon Jr. played only garbage time minutes in the Conference Finals, although he shot a solid 37.5% from deep, and in the regular season, went 35.5% from deep with a limited sample size.

However, as a guard in a wing’s body, the oversized Shannon might be able to step into a bigger role and assume the mantle from Alexander-Walker, and Dillingham, who the Wolves traded up for in last year’s draft, will also need to start proving himself.

Shannon Jr. and Dillingham could be the future of Minnesota

Anthony Edwards is the present and future of winning basketball in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but Shannon Jr. and Dillingham have positioned themselves, in theory at least, to be long-term contributors.

However, Dillingham played in only three postseason contests, only in garbage time. He averaged 4.5 points and two assists in the regular season, but shot only 33.8% from deep, down from 44.4% in college.

“At some point, Dillingham needs to be playing—he needs to take the baton from Mike Conley, and he needs to earn some of those minutes that are going to Conley now,” MacMahon argued.

“But Alexander Walker was a big-time, versatile wing, a guy who, a lot of times, would be guarding the first or second-best wing score on the floor for the other team. Terrence Shannon Jr. is a big, athletic wing. He’s got some juice.”

While the ESPN experts have more faith in Shannon than Dillingham, with Brian Windhorst saying the eighth overall pick “did not stand out” last season, the Wolves will need to take a page from the OKC Thunder’s playbook, maximizing cheap rookie contracts instead of simply having those players ride the bench.

With a title window very much open, the Wolves don’t have time to focus on development, and will throw their youngsters from the frying pan and into the fire early next season.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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