The Minnesota Timberwolves traded Josh Green without ever putting him in their lineup because his contract had become the obstacle between them and Jonathan Kuminga.

Minnesota sent Green and cash considerations to the Utah Jazz for Cody Williams and John Konchar. The Timberwolves then waived Konchar, allowing them to spread his remaining salary over three seasons. Together, those moves created enough room below the NBA’s second apron to complete Kuminga’s reported two-year, $12.4 million agreement.

This was primarily a cap transaction, but it was not an empty salary dump. Minnesota avoided a more expensive stretch payment on Green and acquired a 21-year-old former lottery pick in Williams. Utah received an experienced wing on an expiring contract and cash.

Why Green’s salary had to move

Green arrived from Charlotte earlier in the offseason as part of the LaMelo Ball trade. His inclusion helped construct that larger deal, but Minnesota’s subsequent agreement with Kuminga made Green’s $14.7 million salary difficult to carry.

The NBA set the 2026-27 second apron at $221.686 million and the taxpayer mid-level exception at $6.064 million. Minnesota was already operating under a hard cap at that apron and reportedly had only about $4 million of room before accounting for Kuminga. It therefore could not simply sign him and settle the rest of the roster later.

Trading Green for Williams and Konchar reduced Minnesota’s immediate incoming salary by approximately $2.5 million: Green was due about $14.7 million, while Williams and Konchar combined for roughly $12.2 million.

That reduction alone was not the entire solution. Minnesota waived Konchar and used the stretch provision on his approximately $6.2 million salary. Instead of carrying the full amount in 2026-27, the Timberwolves can count roughly $2.1 million in each of the next three seasons.

The trade and subsequent waiver therefore reduce Minnesota’s current cap burden by approximately $6.6 million compared with simply keeping Green, before other final roster charges. That is enough to fit Kuminga’s first-year salary beneath the hard cap.

Why Minnesota traded Green instead of waiving him

The Timberwolves could have waived and stretched Green directly. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, that alternative would have divided his $14.7 million salary into charges of slightly less than $5 million over three seasons.

The completed trade produces a much smaller annual dead-cap charge through Konchar, whose salary was less than half of Green’s. It also gives Minnesota a young player to evaluate.

That distinction matters beyond opening night. Dead salary cannot play, cannot be traded and still counts when the team tries to make another move. Carrying roughly $2.1 million for Konchar is an inconvenience; carrying nearly $5 million for Green would have reduced Minnesota’s flexibility much more sharply.

Green also faced a crowded path to minutes. Minnesota has remade its perimeter and forward rotation around Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and now Kuminga. Keeping another veteran wing at $14.7 million made less sense once his salary prevented the team from adding its intended starting power forward.

What Cody Williams gives the Timberwolves

Williams is more than accounting filler, although Minnesota should treat him as a development project rather than an immediate replacement for Green.

Utah selected the 6-foot-8 forward with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft. He appeared in 67 games last season, averaging 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field, according to NBA.com. He also produced six games with at least 20 points, including a career-high 34.

The attraction is straightforward: Williams is 21, has positional size and still has time to grow into a useful two-way forward. Minnesota can evaluate him behind an established starting group without needing him to organize the offense.

His draft position should not be confused with established value. Utah was willing to move him only two seasons after selecting him, and Minnesota’s priority was creating cap room. Williams now has to show that his length and occasional scoring flashes can translate into dependable defense, shooting and quick decisions within a contender’s rotation.

Why the Jazz made the trade

Utah exchanged Williams’ remaining developmental upside for the more predictable player in Green.

Green is a 25-year-old, 6-foot-6 wing entering his seventh NBA season. He has played 349 regular-season games and contributed to Dallas’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals. NBA.com relayed reporting that the Jazz wanted another 3-and-D wing, while NBC Sports noted that Green shot 42% from three last season despite a reduced offensive role after returning from shoulder surgery.

His contract is also entering its final season. That gives Utah a useful evaluation window without a long-term commitment: Green can earn rotation minutes with his defense and transition play, then become a free agent or a movable expiring contract.

The cash Minnesota included adds value for Utah, although the announced terms do not assign it a basketball role or make it equivalent to draft compensation.

What the trade actually changes

For Minnesota, the sequence is best understood as one connected transaction: move Green, reduce Konchar’s immediate cap charge, complete Kuminga’s contract and keep Williams as a developmental bet.

The price is three years of dead money for Konchar and the loss of a veteran wing who could have helped the rotation. The payoff is a clean route to Kuminga without stretching Green’s much larger salary.

For Utah, the question is whether Green’s reliable NBA role is worth giving up early on Williams. For Minnesota, the test is even clearer. This maneuver only works as intended if Kuminga becomes substantially more important than the depth and flexibility the Timberwolves surrendered to fit him.