The 2026-27 draft picks should go down as one of the weirder draft day situations for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They acquired Isaiah Evans in a trade that sent Julius Randle to the Wolves, first reported on June 22. However, the trade did not become official until July 10. Meaning that for 18 days, although Evans knew he would eventually be heading to Minnesota, neither the Wolves nor he could do any formal work together.
As Evans seems to be a player that could be fighting for a deep rotation spot on the team, he will join summer league looking to catch up to speed. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s 57th overall pick, Trey Kaufman-Renn, has been working with the team and is competing for a coveted roster spot or a two-way deal. Summer League head coach Nathan Bubes spoke on how odd the situation was for Evans.
“You just gotta roll with it, like whatever. There’s a lot of stuff that happens that you don’t ask a ton of questions. You’re just like, ‘Okay cool, will do.’” Bubes continued.
“I think that was one of the experience of being in the G League as an assistant, every day was different, you’d have your two ways for a game, they’d be gone the next day because somebody got hurt with the Timberwolves and they’d hop on a flight and the next night you’d show up with 7 guys… luckily in this case (Evans) it’s a positive add for our team and so we’re kind of like ‘okay great.’”
Isaiah Evans (Duke)
The trade is now official, and the Wolves can add Evans to their Summer League depth chart. The dynamic sharpshooter from Duke should fit in as the starting guard next to Pullin alongside Beringer, Freeman, and Zikarsky to round out the squad.
Evans’ role on the main roster is likely that of a young bench player. However, in Vegas, he should be a dynamic scorer who can use his 6’6” frame to defend multiple positions. Evans shot 38.0% over 74 games in two years for Duke.
“I mean, we’re super excited,” said Bubes. “It’s awesome. In the quick moment that I’ve gotten to know him, it’s been fun. He’s a great kid. He’s about the right things, and he can really shoot it, and he can do a lot more than that. He can put the ball on the deck and get to the rim. Really, I think everybody that’s met him is like, ‘Wow, he’s tall.’ All of 6’6”.”
Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue)
Kaufman-Renn joins the Summer League roster in a similar spot as Terrence Shannon Jr. in 2024-25. At 23, he’s an older college player with a well-established identity. However, the Wolves selected Kaufman-Renn in the second round and used a first-round pick on Shannon.
The 6’9” forward played four seasons for Purdue, scoring a career-best 20.1 points per game as a junior in 2024-25. His scoring declined to 14.2 points per game in his senior season, but his rebounds improved from 1.8 to 8.3 per game.
Kaufman-Renn already understands that he’ll likely have to pave his road to the NBA by doing the small stuff: rebounding at a high level, defending multiple positions, and playing with a lot of intensity. On Minnesota’s Summer League roster, he slides in as the backup power forward/center behind Beringer and Zikarsky.
The rookie players differ from the other members of the Summer League roster because of their lack of NBA experience. They will be playing roles off the bench this Summer and looking to make an impression of what they could be in their future.
For Evans, the three-point shooting and athleticism need to pop for him to see time with the Wolves this season, and for Kaufman-Renn, the rebounding and professionalism have to reflect that of a ready-to-play player to earn a spot on the roster.
The situations for both of them are a little odd: one not being able to practice with the team, and the other already an older role player before coming into the league. Still, if Chris Finch has shown anything over the years, he’s pretty good at making weird situations work.
