So, what would Kaufman-Renn returning to college mean for Minnesota?<\/p>\n
Trey Kaufman-Renn saga changes very little for Timberwolves in reality<\/p>\n
Kaufman-Renn played for Minnesota\u2019s Las Vegas Summer League team, averaging 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds on 52.6% from the floor across five games. Lacking athleticism and an outside shot, Kaufman-Renn did not look NBA-ready during his time in Las Vegas, which makes sense for a player the Wolves selected so late in the draft.<\/p>\n
A common path teams take when signing late second-round draft picks is to sign them to a two-way contract, which allows the player to play a maximum of 50 regular-season NBA games (none in the playoffs) while spending a good chunk of their time with the team\u2019s G League affiliate.<\/p>\n
The Wolves did that with Rocco Zikarsky, their No. 45 pick from 2025, by signing him to a two-year, two-way contract. Zikarsky, along with Zyon Pullin, who impressed at Summer League this year<\/a>, and Enrique Freeman, who is an athletic forward with solid rebounding skills<\/a>, already occupied the maximum of three two-way spots the Wolves can employ.<\/p>\n Therefore, Minnesota would have needed to waive one of those players to sign Kaufman-Renn to a two-way deal. Additionally, the Wolves could have signed him to their final standard roster spot, which would have carried a minimal salary cap hit. However, with Kaufman-Renn returning to college, that spot will remain open for the Wolves to do as they see fit.<\/p>\n President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly is not required to fill his final roster spot. He could leave it open to begin the season, giving himself flexibility to make a trade or sign a free agent on the buyout market later in the year. <\/p>\n If he does look to fill that 15th roster spot, though, Kevin Love is a name to look out for<\/a>, as both the Wolves and Love have some level of mutual interest in a reunion, according to Jon Krawczynski.<\/p>\n There is \u201csome mutual interest\u201d between Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves, per @JonKrawczynski<\/a> <\/p>\n (h\/t @TWolvesNationCP<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/EJ4xYw2sXw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 4, 2026<\/a>Kaufman-Renn could sign with the Wolves next offseason as a more complete, NBA-ready player<\/p>\n From what I can find in the NBA\u2019s Collective Bargaining Agreement, it appears the Wolves will be able to hold onto Kaufman-Renn\u2019s exclusive rights to sign him to an NBA contract for essentially one year if they make the required tender to hold onto his rights.<\/p>\n Theoretically, Kaufman-Renn could return to college and develop his game with greater emphasis on the pace and physicality he saw at the Summer League, which is exponentially higher in the NBA.<\/p>\n The Wolves are reportedly in full support<\/a> of Kaufman-Renn\u2019s attempt to return to college for a sixth season. Perhaps they will sign him in a year from now. Maybe he looks more like a legitimate NBA talent by then.\u00a0<\/p>\n But after his showing in the Summer League, and with the roster flexibility the Wolves will have, Kaufmann-Renn returning to college is a good thing for a Minnesota team that likely won’t need his services this season anyway.<\/p>\n Get Timberwolves On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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