As expected, the Minnesota Timberwolves have officially waived newly acquired veteran shooting guard John Konchar.
Minnesota acquired Konchar and Cody Williams from the Utah Jazz in a salary-cap dump, with Josh Green going the other way.
By swapping out Green for Williams and Konchar, the Timberwolves opened up enough salary-cap space under the second apron to sign Jonathan Kuminga.
But first, the Timberwolves had to waive Konchar from their roster, which they now have.
Timberwolves Waive John Konchar
The Timberwolves confirmed on their official team website that Konchar has been put on waivers Saturday, which was the last day for a player to be waived and have their contract stretched.
“Minneapolis-St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived forward John Konchar. Konchar, 30, has appeared in 363 career games (65 starts) in eight NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz, averaging 4.3 points on 46.9% shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 17.6 minutes per game. Last season with the Jazz, the 6-5 forward split time with the Grizzlies and Jazz after being traded to the Jazz on Feb. 3, played in 56 games (eight starts) and averaged 4.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.9 minutes per game. Konchar was acquired by the Timberwolves via a trade with the Jazz earlier today,” the Timberwolves wrote in a statement.
Once Konchar clears waivers on Monday, the Timberwolves will be able to stretch the remaining $6 million left on his contract to $2 million for the next three seasons.
By doing that, they will create enough cap flexibility to officially sign Kuminga.
Timberwolves Keeping Cody Williams
Though Minnesota cut Konchar, the team is planning on keeping the other player who was acquired in the Green trade, Williams.
Unlike Konchar, who at 30 is not going to improve as an NBA player, Williams is just 21 years old and still has plenty of untapped potential after being taken 10th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The brother of Oklahoma City Thunder player Jalen Williams will likely get a chance to win rotation minutes with the Timberwolves, though he will be a bench player for the team as their starting unit is set for this coming season.
Timberwolves Waive Newly Acquired Veteran Shooting Guard