The Minnesota Timberwolves have been linked to backcourt players who may be available via trade this offseason. That includes notable point guards like Kyrie Irving and Ja Morant.
The Timberwolves don’t necessarily need to go after just star-level point guards, though. The team is need of lead ball-handlers, and even an adequate player can really help the club.
On Monday, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic wrote an article on Minnesota’s offseason. He mentioned a point guard that Minnesota could potentially look into adding, and one I actually wrote about as a trade target for the Wolves back in January: Scotty Pippen Jr.
“Another player the Wolves should consider is Memphis guard Scotty Pippen Jr.” Krawczynski writes. “He only played 10 games last year for the Memphis Grizzlies because of toe injuries but has established a reputation for being a hard-nosed competitor and capable shot creator in four seasons in the league. It is unclear if the Wolves have inquired about Pippen this summer.”
Pippen Jr. would be an excellent addition that shouldn’t cost the Wolves much to acquire.
Would help fill Wolves’ current needs
Turning 26 years old on November 10, Pippen Jr. fits the timeline that Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and a few others are on. He is on an extremely team-friendly deal at $2.46 million next season and a club option for $2.79 million in 2027-28.
As the Grizzlies are looking to retool, Pippen Jr. is someone that the team may look to move on from. He would also check the boxes of clear needs for the Timberwolves: ball-handling and outside shooting.
While last season was somewhat of a lost one for Pippen Jr., he had a greater than 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2024-25. He has also knocked down just shy of 40 percent of his 326 career 3-point tries. While not quite his father’s size, he possesses some of the quickness that his Hall of Fame dad possessed, as evidenced by his career 2.3 steals per 36 minutes.
Now, if the Grizzlies trade Morant as many believe they will, that could thrust Pippen Jr. into a larger role where they don’t look to deal him. They also roster point guards Cam Spencer, who showed much improvement in his second season and Ty Jerome, who is a rock-solid guard.
Again, there’s no concrete evidence that Memphis will look to ship Pippen Jr. Nevertheless, it would make sense for the Wolves to at least ask about him.
