After news broke of Kyle Anderson’s impending return to the Timberwolves nearly two years after his free agency departure, teammates got on the horn. Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards were all on the phone.
The center of the conversation: It was time to finish what they started.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Kyle Anderson reacts in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
All four, and a few others on the current roster, were a part of one of the two greatest teams in Timberwolves history, which reached the first of two consecutive Western Conference Finals in 2024.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Anderson said.
Anderson has been welcomed with open arms by those in the building who know him best. He developed close bonds with many teammates in his first stint in Minnesota. He vacationed with his then former teammates during the 2025 all-star break in Mexico. He hangs out with Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid in the summertime.
Gobert, with whom Anderson had a public, in-game spat in the regular season finale of the 2022-23 campaign, became a close friend and dinner buddy the following year.
“These are my guys,” Anderson said.
And this is his coach.
This is Anderson’s 12th NBA season. He has played for six teams in that span, including some of the NBA’s most legendary bench bosses — Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, Steve Kerr. Yet Anderson said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch is the one who has most understood his game and skillset.
As a whole, Minnesota values the versatile forward.
“He’s a big part of what we do,” Gobert said. “He’s going to help us on and off the court. I think he’s a smart player, he’s a tough player, he’s an unselfish player, and also he’s someone who is a winner.”
That type of belief matters for a player.
“I’ve seen that first-hand. Just playing for a few teams where I feel like they didn’t see it, it sucks,” Anderson said. “I was with a lot of young guys in Utah and in Memphis, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I could be in another situation.’ I’m like, ‘The grass ain’t always greener.’ So, wherever you’re loved, you’ve got to make the most out of it.”
That’s what he intends to do with this opportunity. On the surface, Anderson figures to slot into the end of Minnesota’s rotation with minutes as either the team’s eighth or ninth man. But he’s making no such presumptions, nor demands, regarding his role.
“I’m willing to come in and do whatever,” he said. “Whether it’s not play at all, play a little bit, if I play a lot — whatever it is, I just want to contribute the best I can and I’ll go from there.”
Make no mistake, the 32-year-old forward remains confident in his game. While opportunities to play were sporadic over the past two seasons, largely due to circumstance — he spent much of this season on a Utah team prioritizing lottery balls over victories — Anderson still feels he’s “in my prime, ready to go.”
But he’s clearly making an early effort not to step on toes. While many of the faces remain the same, times have changed. Anderson was a vocal leader for two years in Minnesota, but this is a different locker room. He hasn’t been a part of the last year and a half.
“They don’t want to hear it,” he said with a laugh. “(They’d be like) ‘You haven’t been here all year. Shut up.’ When I can pitch in, I’ll do my part, but obviously the dynamic is a little different.”
He knows Minnesota reached the West Finals again last year without his assistance, and is in a position to do something similar this spring. His only goal is to aid in those efforts in any possible way.
“I think these guys are doing a great job. Like, I don’t think I’m coming in to save the day or do too much,” Anderson said. “However I can contribute and however me and Finchy see fit when we sit in his office, then that’s how it would go. But I’m not coming in expecting to play 30 minutes and taking all the ball handling responsibilities right away to save the day.
“However I see I can help, that’s how I’m gonna do it.”
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