Apr 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) drives to the basket and passes the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half during game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Zach Lowe intrigued by Bradley Beal-Minnesota Report: 'An interesting one to monitor'

Originally posted on Minnesota Timberwolves on SI
By Joe Nelson | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 8:16 PM ET

At first glance, the inclusion of the Timberwolves being among the "confirmed suitors" for Bradley Beal in a report from Jake Fischer via The Stein Lein on Monday seemed like surface-level reading material — but maybe there's more to it than meets the eye.

While listening to Zach Lowe's podcast on Monday afternoon, I couldn't help but notice how Lowe went out of his way — nearly 20 minutes after discussing the Beal situation — to applaud Stein and note how interesting Minnesota's inclusion in the report is.

"Marc Stein just tweeted something, our old buddy, adding Minnesota to the list of potential Beal teams. Which is really interesting considering they just lost Alexander-Walker in part to elevate Dillingham, but Dillingham is obviously kind of untested. That’s an interesting one to monitor. Good job, Marc Stein," Lowe said.

Lowe did not elaborate further, leaving me and others to wonder what level of interest the Timberwolves actually have. What we do know, via numerous reports, is that Beal is expected to be bought out of his contract with the Phoenix Suns. If that happens, he'll become a free agent.

Logically, all of the arrows point to Beal signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. Multiple reports suggest the Clippers and Beal have mutual interest, and the Clippers just paved a path for Beal to enter the starting lineup next to James Harden and Kawhi Leonard by trading Norman Powell to the Miami Heat.

Beal's fit in Minnesota is difficult to pinpoint. Anthony Edwards plays his position and Minnesota isn't going to kick Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert out of the starting lineup. The only realistic way to Beal to fit into Minnesota's starting five would be sending Mike Conley to the bench and playing without a true point guard.

Sure, Beal would be a nice scoring guard to replace Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but Minnesota appears destined to count on Terrence Shannon Jr. to fill that void, while Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo are the top scoring options off the bench. Rob Dillingham is also getting a chance to earn a spot in the rotation.

Beal to the Wolves still seems like a mismatch, but Lowe being intrigued is enough to at least reconsider how it might work.