Minnesota Timberwolves call up Terrence Shannon Jr and Tristen Newton

But while the team may be inactive on the court Sunday, the front office was busy pulling roster strings behind the scenes. Those strings included the call up of two 2024 draft picks, Terrence Shannon Jr (No. 27 overall) and Tristen Newton (No 49. Overall).

NEWS: @Timberwolves recall guard Terrence Shannon Jr. from G League affiliate @iawolves.

Minnesota also transfers guard Tristen Newton from Iowa.

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 12, 2025

Of course, Shannon Jr was drafted by the Wolves. Newton, on the other hand, was a 2nd round pick by the Indiana Pacers. He played five games for the team that drafted him, before they placed him on waivers January 1. Minnesota claimed him on January 3.

Newton hasn’t played in an NBA game since December 4, Shannon Jr hasn’t gotten in for the Timberwolves since December 23, when he got two minutes vs the Atlanta Hawks. Terrence Shannon Jr has played only four G-League games with the Iowa Wolves this season and the latest two came late this week on Thursday and Saturday.

Shannon Jr tearing it up for Iowa Wolves

The results were much like what you would expect out of someone who still hopes to be a legit wing in the NBA. The 24-year-old Shannon Jr went for 47 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals on Thursday, before going off for another 33 points, 5 rebounds on Saturday.

Terrence Shannon Jr. was RED-HOT in the first-half! 🔥

The @Timberwolves first-round draftee posted 24 points on assignment with the @iawolves on ESPN+. pic.twitter.com/Kn88GRgnmY

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) January 10, 2025

He also turned the ball over 7 times in the latter matchup, but that didn’t stop the Minnesota Timberwolves from rewarding their first round pick with a call up for Monday’s NBA contest vs the Washington Wizards. As mentioned, though, Terrence wasn’t the only rookie to get a call up to the big leagues today. They also transferred the contract of Tristen Newton.

Related: The Minnesota Timberwolves Need to Make Another Blockbuster Trade

The 23-year-old UConn alum has spent most of his rookie year in the G-League. He spent November through December with the Indiana Mad Ants, before playing his last three games with the Iowa Wolves. It’s been a slow start. Newton is averaging just 1.3 points on .361 shooting, in his three appearances.

Fast Forward a couple of months and the Wolves are struggling to stay above .500 and we are finding out that Karl-Anthony Towns was more important to what this team did both on and off the court, that they are really struggling to find the right vibes around his replacement, Julius Randle.

On Thursday, Minnesota lost their second-straight game. They are now 17-16 and Ant is growing so frustrated that he might have to start turning down postgame interviews, for his own good. Next up, the Timberwolves will play in Detroit against the Pistons on Saturday. On their day off, they have been moving a shaking the roster in some interesting ways.

Terrence Shannon Jr lands in Iowa… for about 7 hours

This morning, they designated 1st round rookie Terrence Shannon Jr to G-League Iowa, which isn’t out of the ordinary for a No. 27 overall pick who isn’t seeing any playing time in the NBA. What was weird came about seven hours later, when they recalled the former Illinois star, before he could even play a game with the Iowa Wolves.

NEWS: @Timberwolves assign guard Terrence Shannon Jr. to G League affiliate @iawolves.

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 3, 2025

NEWS: @Timberwolves recall guard Terrence Shannon Jr. from G League affiliate @iawolves. https://t.co/BsPV6s7mdx

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 3, 2025

As a rookie, Shannon Jr has appeared in 10 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is averaging 1.5 points and .2 rebounds in those games. Terrence has played only two games down in the G-League. There, the 24-year-old is averaging 33 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, in 38 minutes per game.

Minnesota Timberwolves sign Tristen Newton

But sending Terrence Shannon Jr to and from Des Moines weren’t the only roster moves made by the Wolves on Friday. They also signed another rookie guard, according to Dane Moore, 2nd round pick out of UConn, Tristen Newton, who was recently waived by the Indiana Pacers.

Related: Does a Jerami Grant for Julius Randle Trade Make Sense for the Minnesota Timberwolves?

In 5 NBA games, Newton has struggled to find his footing in The League. He’s scored just one field goal all season, to go along with one assist. In total, he has played just 8 minutes. Most of Tristen Newton’s professional basketball experience so far has been played in the G-League.

If you haven’t seen Tristen Newton play before, here are his offensive possessions from a game against the Iowa Wolves back in November. https://t.co/eSKYkuuthQ pic.twitter.com/WalQtjb4dP

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 3, 2025

The 23-year-old 6-5 guard has 10 games under his belt for the Indiana Mad Ants in 2024-25. There, Newton has played 36.1 minutes per game, scoring 17 points per night, while adding 5.9 assists and an impressive 6.8 rebounds. Tristen was the No. 49 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.