Timberwolves Sign Former All-American Big Man to Two-Way Contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have found someone for their last open roster spot, and he brings a college resume that is hard to find on the market this late in the fall.

Center Johni Broome will sign a two-way contract with Minnesota, sources told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype in a report on Wednesday.

The team had not announced it by Thursday morning, so Broome is not on the official roster yet.

Broome was one of the top players in college basketball just two seasons ago.

As a senior at Auburn in 2024-25, he was a consensus first-team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year, averaging 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

He was also a third-team All-American the year before, and he finished his college career at Morehead State and Auburn with 2,698 points, 1,594 rebounds and 419 blocks in 168 games.

The NBA has been a tougher road for him, because even though the Philadelphia 76ers took him 35th overall in the 2025 draft, he played in just 11 games as a rookie and had surgery in late February to repair a torn meniscus in his knee.

Philadelphia traded him and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers in late July, the Clippers waived him in September, and the Milwaukee Bucks signed him in October before waiving him 11 days later.

Philadelphia beat writer Jacob Moreno has pointed to a lack of 3-point shooting and poor mobility as the things that held him back.

No one had to be let go for this move, because the Wolves had already waived two-way forward Enrique Freeman on Nov. 3, and their plan to replace him with forward Norchad Omier fell apart when Omier signed with Cleveland instead, which left Minnesota as the only NBA team with an open two-way slot.

Broome joins guard Zyon Pullin and center Rocco Zikarsky as the team's two-way players.

He will not be asked to do much right away, since center Rudy Gobert is averaging 12.1 rebounds per game for a group that owns the league's top defense, and center Joan Beringer and forward Trey Lyles give the frontcourt more size off the bench, with Lyles having stepped up against New Orleans.

I still like this signing for a team in Minnesota's spot.

The Wolves are 8-3, riding a four-game winning streak and tied for the fourth-best record in the West, and they are doing it without guard Anthony Edwards, who is out after his knee procedure in late October, and guard Donte DiVincenzo, who is still working back from a torn Achilles.

With two guards that good out, depth gets tested, and a 24-year-old big who rebounds and blocks shots is a smart, low-risk bet to keep around.

Broome is not likely to change the rotation this month, but a two-way deal gives Minnesota time to work on his shooting and his health without pressure.

The Wolves start a seven-game homestand against Dallas on Thursday, with Chicago and two games against Portland up next, and Broome could get his first look in Minnesota later this season if the injuries keep piling up.