As he had done many times before, Kyle Anderson took the court for his pregame warmups at Target Center on Nov. 7. But this time, he wasn’t playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anderson was sporting a purple Utah Jazz warm-up shirt.

It was Anderson’s second time back in Minnesota after he signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2023. But during warmups, it felt like his first game back.

Naz Reid and Mike Conley gave him brotherly bear hugs. Instead of actually warming up for a game that he knew he wasn’t going to be in the rotation for, Anderson caught up with his former teammates, coaches, and team staff members.

Then, he got some shots up.

Kyle Anderson spent two seasons with the Wolves, serving as an offensive connector and a defensive Swiss Army Knife as Minnesota made a run to the Western Conference Finals in 2023-24. But beyond what he did on the court, Anderson had a voice in Minnesota’s locker room that enabled him to build meaningful relationships within the building while holding players accountable.

It’s a voice the Wolves have missed since he left. A voice that they are bringing back in a no-brainer move by Tim Connelly.

Thursday afternoon, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Anderson plans on signing with the Wolves for the rest of the season after the Memphis Grizzlies bought out the remaining $2.3 million of his 2024-26 contract.

Anderson, 32, ended up back in Memphis, where he spent four years of his career, at the trade deadline as part of a deal that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah. The Grizzlies were Anderson’s fourth team since he left the Wolves (Warriors, Miami Heat, Jazz, and Grizzlies). Anderson was in the Warriors and Heat’s rotation, but his minutes became sporadic when Miami traded him to a young Jazz team.

He played 12 minutes against the Wolves on Nov. 7, recording eight points, four rebounds, and four assists on 3 of 7 from the floor. However, all of those minutes came in garbage time, and Jazz head coach Will Hardy sat him out for the next four games.

Just over three months later, Anderson is back in Minnesota, playing for a team with the same championship aspirations as they had when he left. The 6’9” forward averaged 25 minutes per game during his first stint with the Wolves. He’ll have a reduced role, at least on the court. Still, Anderson will have an opportunity for meaningful minutes in Minnesota, and he’s still a player capable of being productive in that role.

Slow Mo went off for a season-high 𝟮𝟮 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀, his most in a Jazz jersey and most in any game since January of 2023 🔥👏#PlayerHighlights presented by @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/2SpkVceRMj

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 2, 2026

Anderson has played over 20 minutes in a game 11 times this season. When he plays over 20 minutes, he averages 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.4 steals on 59% from the floor. He has played over 30 minutes once. In that game, he put up 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 8 of 10 shooting in 32 minutes.

Since the trade deadline, Finch is deploying a situational nine-and-a-half-man rotation. That “half” man typically plays a stint in the first half and doesn’t play in the second half. Before the All-Star break, Jaylen Clark filled that spot. In the four games since the All-Star break, Terrence Shannon Jr. did twice, and Joan Beringer did once.

That’s probably where Anderson’s role will emerge — situational, short-stint minutes when the Wolves need a steady hand on offense. He already has a connection with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. Anderson can set up Minnesota’s offense while being a versatile defender on the other end. He has experience playing center in small-ball lineups. He’s also someone whom Finch can insert to stand at the free-throw line and break down zone defenses. Ultimately, Anderson joins the Wolves already knowing their game plan, the team’s expectations, and how his tools benefit them.

Getting someone with that amount of familiarity on the buyout market to fill your final roster spot is rare and a no-brainer decision when the opportunity arises. Especially when that player is a unique, perhaps abrasive vocal leader whom the players have already embraced.

“Kyle wants to win,” Gobert said in April 2023.

“Sometimes, he’s a little aggressive in the way he talks, but I don’t take it personally. I receive it in a positive way because it comes from a place of wanting me to be the best Rudy I can be and wanting us to win. I love his competitiveness. Love the way he plays the game. The way he makes others around him better. He’s been a huge part of this year.”

Kyle Anderson tells it like it is. He calls players out. He holds players accountable. And for a Wolves team that has championship aspirations but has struggled to be the same team mentally every night, getting Anderson’s voice back in the locker room will be an important addition. And again, because Anderson is already close with many of the people in Minnesota’s organization, he won’t have to take time to understand how vocal the team needs him to be or how the players around him will respond to it.

That will come naturally.

The Wolves are $788,793 under the first apron, according to Spotrac. Bringing back Anderson for the rest of the season will not but them over that line. Signing a player to a veteran’s minimum contract during the season becomes prorated by the number of days left in the regular season. For example, the Wolves re-signed Mike Conley on Feb. 17. They will be on the books to pay him $725,834 for the rest of the season. Because the Timberwolves will have signed Anderson with even fewer days left in the season, he will be even more affordable than that for the Wolves, keeping them under the first apron.

Edwards facetimed with Kyle Anderson on the bus ride to Minnesota’s road game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. When Anderson walks back into the practice facility for the first time, Reid and Conley will probably give him brotherly bear hugs again. He will certainly catch up with all the familiar faces around the building. Anderson’s vocal leadership made a lasting impression on this organization. An impression they’ve missed since he left. An impression they are getting back in a no-brainer signing.