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MN Timberwolves Trim Roster Ahead of Opening Night
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- MN Timberwolves Trim Roster Ahead of Opening Night
David Banks-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The Minnesota Timberwolves wrapped up their preseason Friday night with a 133-116 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center that the starters did not travel for. The exhibition loss dropped the Wolves to 3-3 in preseason play, and none of it counted.
What will count is Wednesday night down in South Beach, where the MN Timberwolves open the 2026-27 regular season against the Heat. But first, NBA teams are trimming rosters to 18 players (15 on standard contracts, three on two-way deals) by the 4 p.m. CT deadline on Monday.
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Saturday was the real deadline for most teams, though. Since waived players need 48 hours to clear before the season starts, today by 4 p.m. CT was the last opportunity to waive players on non-guaranteed contracts and still avoid paying them.
Minnesota Timberwolves waive five players before opening night
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, that meant cutting five players from the roster — guard Antonio Reeves, along with forwards Enrique Freeman, KJ Martin, Norchad Omierand Drew Timme.
NEWS: @Timberwolves Waive Enrique Freeman, KJ Martin, Norchad Omier, Antonio Reeves and Drew TimmeFull Release: https://t.co/yeCiSUCIhk
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) October 17, 2026
Believe it or not, today's cuts included two of the most efficient Wolves preseason shooters. Reeves went 12-of-17 from the field in four preseason games , and Martin went 11-of-19 in five exhibitions.
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Meanwhile, 2026 No. 33 overall pick Isaiah Evans (11-of-34 FG) and 2024 No. 10 overall pick Cody Williams (12-of-34 FG) both survived the cut.
KJ Martin is the biggest name among today's cuts. He's played 309 NBA games between four different teams. He even averaged 12.7 points for Houston in 2022-23 (49 starts).
Freeman and Omier barely got a look, going a combined 4-of-20 from the field in nine appearances. Freeman did produce a lot for the Iowa Wolves last season, averaging 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds in 39 starts.
His G League track record makes him an obvious candidate to land back in Iowa, but there are no reports on the plan with him, going forward — just this tweet from the Timberwolves' official account…
thank you, Enrique. 💙 https://t.co/qewIl2j1gH
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 17, 2026
Related: Chris Finch Firing Strays at Former "Moody" Timberwolves Starter?
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Then there's Timme, who's averaging 20.6 points over three seasons in the G League. He also put up 12.1 points per game in a nine-game stint with Brooklyn. His 9-of-15 in 10.8 minutes per preseason game in 2026 wasn't enough to earn him a roster spot.
What's next for the MN Timberwolves roster
The cuts leave Minnesota with 16 players, which already fits under Monday's limit. So unless the front office has one more move up its sleeve, this is basically the group that'll get on the plane to Miami.
One guy who clearly earned his spot on that plane was Zyon Pullin, who finished second on the team in total preseason points (65), behind only Anthony Edwards, shooting 21-of-36 from the field.
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