Zyon Pullin is heading into his first summer league with the Timberwolves with something bigger than reps on his mind: keeping an NBA opportunity alive for next season. The 25-year-old guard is on a two-way contract for next season, but that spot is not locked in, and this month could help decide whether he stays in the picture.
That is why his first summer league with the team matters now. Pullin, a 6-foot-4 guard who went undrafted in 2024, signed a two-way contract with Minnesota on March 1 after starting much of the year for the Iowa Wolves in the G League. He has already shown he can produce when given the chance, playing in five games for the Timberwolves and closing the regular season with 19 points, three rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes on 8-for-12 shooting.
Pullin's path to this point has been built on steady work rather than headlines. He was named the G League player of the month for November and finished with 137 assists and 48 turnovers with the Iowa Wolves, signs of a guard who handled the ball, created offense and kept earning more responsibility. For a player trying to move from a temporary NBA role to something more stable, that resume is the reason he is being watched now.
When Andrew Dukowitz asked what he hopes to get done in summer league, Pullin kept the answer simple. He said he wants to keep learning and keep growing, and to sharpen up everything he can. He added that he thinks he has had good player development down there and wants to clean everything up while improving offensively and defensively. That is the whole job in one sentence: show enough to justify more runway.
The catch is that even a two-way contract does not guarantee a place on the roster once next season begins. NBA teams can use those three slots as moving pieces before and during the season, which means a player can be waived or replaced if a better fit emerges. Trey Kaufman-Renn is also in the mix for a two-way role, so Pullin is not just trying to get better — he is trying to hold off the possibility that the job changes before he gets to claim it.
What comes next is straightforward and unforgiving. Pullin gets his first summer league with the Timberwolves, and everything he does there will feed the question that matters most: whether the organization keeps him on a two-way deal when next season starts, or whether his strong finish becomes only a brief stop on the way to another opening.
