Despite a second-straight five-game takedown in the Western Conference Finals, team president Tim Connelly has essentially decided to run things back. Chris Finch won’t have many new faces on the roster, and how that works remains to be seen.

Monday the team filled the final opening with guard Bones Hyland.

Bones Hyland back for Minnesota Timberwolves

Last week it was reported that the MN Timberwolves were considering multiple options for their final roster spot. On Monday they decided to go with the most familiar of them.

Bones Hyland will return to the Timberwolves this season, per Jon K

— Evan Porter (@EvanPorterNBA) August 18, 2025

The former VCU product is a known commodity to Tim Connelly, as he drafted Hyland, who played his first two NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets. This will be Bones’ second stint in Minnesota. The soon-to-be 25-year-old guard was a midseason addition for the Timberwolves last year, where he appeared in just four games.

Bones Hyland averaged a career-best 11.8 points per game during the 2022-23 season, between Denver and Los Angeles. That’s impressive production for just 19.4 minutes per game, especially when you throw in his 3.1 assists per game, numbers that earned him a spot on the 2021-22 All-Rookie team.

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It remains to be seen what head coach Chris Finch has in store for Hyland. Realistically, the MN Timberwolves need a guard that could bring up the ball and allow for Anthony Edwards to operate in space.

Nobody is suggesting that Hyland represents an upgrade over Rob Dillingham, at this point in his career. At the same time, only one of those has ever proven they can hang at this level, and it’s not Dilly… at least not yet.

MN Timberwolves roster now set

Of course, there is plenty of time until the Minnesota Timberwolves kick off their regular season schedule. Hopefully there are no injuries to report on, but that doesn’t mean the team can’t make tweaks to the roster. For now though, this is how it shakes out.

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There are just four new players on the Timberwolves roster this season, and two of them are on two-way contracts. In my estimation, the only fresh faces who should expect reasonable playing time is first round draft pick Joan Beringer, and recently signed guard, Johnny Juzang.

Minnesota could have opted for a more established point guard than Hyland in the form of a veteran like Russell Westbrook. This move, though, signals two things. Tim Connelly believes in Rob Dillingham and Bones Hyland, which is why he opted not to invest in an aging veteran who won’t bring future value to the organization.

Minnesota tip off the regular season in Portland against the Trailblazers on Wednesday October 22nd.

The Wolves have one roster spot that remains available, but we’ve seen the Timberwolves leave that roster spot open at times too, either to save money and/or maintain maximum flexibility. In other words, it’s not a guarantee they fill it at all.

But there’s no doubt this team could still make upgrades. A playmaking guard, for example, who could help facilitate in the half-court and maybe get Anthony Edwards off the ball, when necessary, would be a great way to use up that final spot.

What about a guard for the MN Timberwolves though?

Then again, leaving it vacant would give allow up-and-coming Wolves, along with recent signings such as Johnny Juzang, a better chance of making the team out of training camp and making worthwhile contributions in 2025-26.

But reading the latest from Minnesota Timberwolves insider Jon Krawczynski (The Athletic), president of basketball operations Tim Connelly is planning to fill the roster vacancy. In fact, the Wolves are currently considering a quartet of players for their final roster spot.

The four names up for consideration are Malcolm Brogdon, Cam Payne, Landry Shamet, and Bones Hyland. Of course, Hyland closed out last season as a member of the MN Timberwolves, and per Krawczynski, Hyland “is the “frontrunner” again.

The Wolves have looked into several candidates for the spot, including Malcolm Brogdon, Cam Payne and Landry Shamet, league sources told The Athletic. However, all indications are that Bones Hyland is the front-runner to get that final spot, league sources said. Hyland signed a two-way contract with the Wolves in February, played briefly in Iowa and spent the rest of his time with the Timberwolves.

The Athletic

Tim Connelly loves him some Bones Hyland

Tim Connelly has always had a soft spot for Bones Hyland. He drafted the 6’2″, 173 lb VCU alum No. 26 overall in 2021 and made him into one of the more exciting young surprises in the NBA almost immediately.

Hyland’s first 125 NBA games (2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons), the now 24-year-old averaged 10.9 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per night, quickly inserting himself as a future cornerstone of Tim Connelly’s Nuggets.

Love too hoop! Opportunity meets Preparation soon 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/CpzCF9tOhe

— Bones Hyland (@BizzyBones11) July 15, 2025

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Then, Connelly left Denver for Minnesota and Hyland left for LA (Clippers). He hasn’t been the same player since, averaging 6.6 points, 2 assists and 1.3 rebounds (12.8 MPG) in 61 total games over the past two seasons.

Whether it’s a Hyland reclamation project, one of the other three names listed by Jon Krawczynski, or someone currently off the radar, it’s clear the MN Timberwolves are still hunting for backcourt help to bolster their depth chart behind Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, TJ Shannon.

Hyland was only with the Timberwolves on a two-way contract last season, which is the same type Naz Reid was initially signed to. Hyland made a strong impression while with the Iowa Wolves last season; perhaps the former Denver Nuggets player’s next chapter sees him make an impact in Minnesota too.

In particular, Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Jaylen Clark have all provided sparks in the wake of many injuries to the starting lineup. As a result, the Timberwolves gave some good news to one of those main young guys. They also signed a new interesting guard to a two-way contract.

Minnesota Timberwolves convert Jaylen Clark to NBA contract

On Wednesday, Clark was rewarded for his recent solid play. The Wolves converted his two-way contract into a two-year, fully guaranteed NBA contract. He’s with the Wolves while he’s under contract, meaning he no longer will be back and forth with the G-league squad. It’s a minimum deal for the rest of this season and next season, and Clark will still be a restricted free agent after next year.

The Minnesota Timberwolves plan to convert guard Jaylen Clark on a fully guaranteed, two-year NBA contract, agent Todd Ramasar of Life Sports Agency told ESPN. Clark has been on a two-way since being a second-round pick to Minnesota in 2023, now earns a standard deal. pic.twitter.com/LivfnU6cC5

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 26, 2025

The move comes after a stretch of great games from Clark since entering the rotation on Jan. 29. He’s averaging 6.5 points and 1.9 rebounds while shooting nearly 45% from three in 13 games. He’s started three of the Wolves’ last four games, all of which came against the first-place Thunder.

Clark was entered into the rotation thanks to injuries to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ lineup. Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo have all missed multiple games, and head coach Chris Finch has been moving players around to accommodate for that. That includes giving more minutes to Clark, a second-round pick out of UCLA in 2023.

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As a junior for the Bruins, Clark averaged 13 points, six rebounds and a Pac-12 leading 2.6 steals a game. The Wolves drafted him for his defense, and that’s what he’s excelled at since joining. As the contesting defender this season, Clark is holding opponents to 41% shooting. He’s been the Wolves’ primary defender against MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, helping Minnesota split the season series with one of the Finals favorites.

Wolves sign Bones Hyland to two-way contract

In a corresponding move, the Minnesota Timberwolves signed guard Bones Hyland to a two-way deal in Clark’s former spot. Hyland was the 26th overall pick by the Nuggets in 2021, when Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly was still in Denver. He was subsequently traded to the Clippers after Connelly left in 2022, where he’s spent the last two seasons.

Grateful & Thankful 🙏🏽 #LetsWork https://t.co/Dwfmvz6rSA

— Bones Hyland (@BizzyBones11) February 26, 2025

Hyland was sent to the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline this season, but was waived after just two days with the team. He’s averaging 7.2 points on a career-high 38% 3-point shooting this year in 11 minutes per game. He’s also averaging nearly a steal per game in those 11 minutes, ranking him top five in steals per 36 minutes.

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He’s not putting up the best stats of his career, but Hyland provides injury insurance for the Wolves down the final stretch of the season. He’s a favorite of Connelly’s and the Wolves got him for basically nothing. At his peak, Hyland was averaging 12.1 points per game. With his newfound shooting touch, Minnesota may have found a diamond in the rough.