Why Timberwolves Cutting John Konchar Was the Right Decision

Last week, it was announced that the Minnesota Timberwolves had agreed to sign free agent Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million contract to be their starting power forward. Before the move could officially be made, the Wolves needed to shed salary.

The Timberwolves did not have room under their second apron hard cap to add Kuminga's $6 million starting salary. The most obvious way the Wolves could do that was by utilizing Josh Green's $14.6 million expiring contract.

Instead of waiving and stretching Green's contract, which would have put nearly $5 million of dead money on Minnesota's cap sheet for the next three seasons, the Wolves found a trade for Green, sending him to the Utah Jazz for John Konchar and Cody Williams, who each make about $6 million.

The trade gave them just enough space to fit Kuminga's contract onto their salary cap books, while filling up all 15 roster spots. Instead of letting their offseason end there, the Timberwolves elected to waive and stretch Konchar's contract.

While it may have seemed like a surprising move to release Konchar, who had been a solid contributor for multiple playoff-caliber Memphis Grizzlies teams before being sent to Utah in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, cutting Konchar opens many new possibilities for Minnesota.

Examining Minnesota's choice to release John Konchar

The main benefit for the Timberwolves is pushing two-thirds of Konchar's contract onto their future salary cap sheet. While putting extra money on the team's books for a player who will not be on the team is not ideal, $2 million amounts to just 1.25 percent of the salary cap.

The dead money also expires right as this Wolves roster begins to get really expensive. As of now, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and Jaden McDaniels are all set to become free agents following the 2028-29 season, when all three will likely receive sizable raises.

Konchar's dead-cap money comes off the Timberwolves' books that same summer. The Wolves have a window for the next few years where a small amount of extra salary doesn't hurt them nearly as much as it will in the future, and this waive and stretch of Konchar fits perfectly into that time frame.

The move also opens up the Wolves' 15th and final roster spot again. Minnesota can either leave that roster spot open and play with 14 rostered players to begin the season or, more likely, bring in a veteran player on a minimum contract to provide leadership and frontcourt depth.

The Timberwolves could open up a slot for another veteran's minimum contract if Trey Lyles does not succeed in his role. Minnesota could release Lyles before his roster spot becomes fully guaranteed on January 10th and open up enough financial and roster space for another player.

The Wolves also could have waived Williams' contract as they did with Konchar, but preferred to hold onto the upside of the former tenth overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, who, despite being a negative on-court player to this point in his career, could greatly benefit from a change of scenery.

Ultimately, it appears the Wolves believe that the player they will bring in with a veteran's minimum contract will be more valuable to them than Konchar himself. With Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, and Joe Ingles no longer in Minnesota, the Wolves need a veteran locker-room presence to assist the growing stars of Edwards, Ball, and McDaniels.

That's not to say Konchar couldn't have taken on that responsibility, but it makes sense for Minnesota to take the added financial and roster flexibility from waiving Konchar and give it to the best player available for the team's exact needs on the open market.

Similar to Green, who was the cap casualty immediately before him, Konchar could have been a good fit for the Timberwolves, just in a much different context, one where the Wolves weren't already committed to multiple bench rotation players on the wing, including Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, and eventually Donte DiVincenzo.

Whoever the Timberwolves add to fill the final roster spot will likely not have a large on-court role. With their final roster spot, the Wolves want a player like Ingles, who understands that the playing time will be limited but provides value in other areas.

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