The Minnesota Timberwolves will begin their quest to return to the Western Conference Finals and beyond on Wednesday, October 21, when they take on the Miami Heat. The game begins at 7:30 PM ET and will air on ESPN.

The Timberwolves will look much different than they did at the end of the 2025-26 season as Julius Randle and fan favorite Naz Reid have moved on. Randle is now with the Brooklyn Nets, and Reid is with the Charlotte Hornets. In the starting lineup will be LaMelo Ball, who was acquired for Reid, and Jonathan Kuminga, who signed as a free agent.

The Miami Heat will also look much different as they traded Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, and multiple first round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis. Miami missed the playoffs last season after losing in the play-in tournament, and reloaded with the big trade fo Giannis.

The Timberwolves will be at full strength based on their expectations to start the season.

Donte DiVincenzo is OUT after undergoing right Achilles tendon surgery in April. DiVincenzo suffered the injury less than two minutes into game four of the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. He remains confident that he will be able to play this season, but when he makes his debut is unknown.

Zyon Pullin and Rocco Zikarsky are both OUT as they are in the G-League on two-way deals.

The Timberwolves will start LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, and Rudy Gobert. Ayo Dosunmu, Bones Hyland, Trey Lyles, and Joan Beringer are expected to be top options off the bench, with Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark also getting playing time.

The Heat also have a relatively clean injury report among their top players.

Myron Gardner is AVAILABLE with a right ankle sprain. He had a standout preseason after playing limited minutes last year.

Dru Smith is also AVAILABLE with a right calf strain. He did not play in the preseason. He averaged 16.3 minutes per game with the Heat last season.

Vladislav Goldin is QUESTIONABLE with a right ankle sprain. He is signed to a two-way contract.

Miami is expected to start Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo. Tim Hardaway Jr., Bobby Portis Jr., Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jovic, and Nick Richards will be the top options off the bench.