Minnesota brings in a veteran forward after a big season overseas with Real Madrid.
Trey Lyles is coming back to the NBA after a year away, and he is doing it in a new city.
The 30-year-old forward has agreed to a one-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving the team a proven body up front just as its frontcourt picture changed in a hurry this summer.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic first reported the deal on Friday, and Darren Wolfson later added that the contract will pay Lyles the veteran minimum, worth close to $3.9 million.
It also brings back a familiar connection, since Minnesota's president of basketball operations Tim Connelly once traded for Lyles back when both were with the Denver Nuggets.
A Strong Season in Spain
Before agreeing to return, Lyles spent the year overseas.
He signed with Real Madrid last September after ten NBA seasons with the Jazz, Nuggets, Spurs, Pistons and Kings, and he quickly became one of the better stories in the EuroLeague.
Lyles led the Spanish club in scoring, putting up 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game across 42 EuroLeague games as Madrid pushed all the way to the championship game.
He was at his best on the biggest stage, too, following a 17-point, seven-rebound outing in the Final Four semifinal win over Valencia with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds in the 92-85 title game loss to Olympiacos in May.
Once the season ended, Lyles made his next move known on Instagram, saying, "Madrid, it's been great, man. But it's time. It's time to get some R&R."
Filling a Need in Minnesota
The timing works out well for the Timberwolves, who lost both of their top power forwards this summer.
Julius Randle was traded to Brooklyn in a salary dump, and Naz Reid soon followed him out the door as part of the trade that brought in LaMelo Ball and Josh Green from Charlotte.
That swap left Minnesota thin up front, and while rookie big man Joan Beringer now has a clearer path to bigger minutes, Lyles adds an experienced floor spacer who does not need the ball in his hands to help.
Expect him to slide in behind Jaden McDaniels at power forward, giving coach Chris Finch a stretch four who can space the floor around Anthony Edwards, who averaged 28.8 points a game this season, and new backcourt partner LaMelo Ball, while Rudy Gobert keeps holding things down in the middle.
What It Means Going Forward
Minnesota is coming off a 49-33 season that ended with a six-game loss to San Antonio in the second round, and the front office wants more than another early exit next time.
A low cost veteran like Lyles fits that plan, giving the Timberwolves some frontcourt insurance without touching the money it used to remake the backcourt.
He will not replace what Reid brought off the bench, but Lyles gives Minnesota a steady veteran who has played real minutes in big games, in the NBA and on the run to a EuroLeague final.
