3 big reasons the Minnesota Timberwolves were a perfect spot for Terrence Shannon Jr.

3. Terrence Shannon Jr. provides a cheap contract in a tight salary cap situation

Minnesota is in win-now mode, which means they are looking to make moves and do what they can to win. Sometimes that means going over the salary cap.

The Big 3 I mentioned in the previous slide aren’t cheap. Anthony Edwards is entering his new contract. Karl-Anthony Towns has three more years on his deal. Rudy Gobert is signed through next season with a player option for 2025-26. Those three will account for roughly $135,372,586 next season.

According to Spotrac, Minnesota is severely over the cap. On the books for next season, the Timberwolves have to pay out $192,682,283 in salaries to players. That puts them over the second apron of the NBA salary cap, which has a threshold of $189,486,000. This means the Timberwolves are hard-capped and can’t really do anything besides sign their own players, sign draft picks, and sign players to league minimums.

Long story short, Minnesota needs cheap players. The way to get cheap players is to draft them. That is why the pick at No. 27 of Terrence Shannon Jr. is big for the Timberwolves.

Not only does Shannon bring a lot of talent, but he also brings a nice cheap contract compared to the talent he brings to the table. Shannon is exactly what Minnesota is looking for. He is a good player who doesn’t cost a lot and can help the team win.

I would argue Minnesota was the best landing spot for Shannon in the 2024 NBA Draft. Wednesday night could not have gone any better.