Timberwolves free agent signee Tyler Wahl is in familiar territory

Unchosen on NBA draft night, Tyler Wahl’s first contact as a free agent came from his hometown team.

“I got a call from my agent saying we were going to play for the Timberwolves summer league team and now here we are,” the Lakeville native said. “That was the first call right after the draft and we jumped right on it.”

Now the former Wisconsin Badgers big man is Las Vegas-bound on that summer league team that includes first-round draft picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., Wolves prospects Jaylen Clark, Leonard Miller, Josh Minott and Daishen Nix, as well as other free agents such as Wahl.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team, we’ve got a lot of high-level names,” Wahl said. “I think we can do a lot of big things in Vegas and make some noise.”

The Wolves summer league team practiced at the franchise’s Mayo Clinic Square starting on Monday before they fly to Las Vegas on Thursday.

He knows the training facility and Target Center well from his Lakeville North days before he played five collegiate seasons for the Badgers. That felt similar. What’s different are his teammates, five of whom are as tall or taller than Wahl, a power forward listed at 6-9.

“I’ve been in here a couple times practicing for the state tournament,” Wahl said after a practice. “But it’s a little different, a little more physical with all the big bodies. At the end of the day, it’s always fun to get in here, compete, get better. I’m ready to work toward something here.”

Wahl played at Target Center in March’s Big Ten men’s basketball tournament, where new summer league teammate Shannon played for second-seeded Illinois that beat Wahl’s fifth-seeded Wisconsin 93-87 in the tournament championship game.

Shannon scored 34 points, a Big Ten championship game record, on 8-for-15 from the field and 15-for-17 from the free-throw line. He was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Wahl spent much of that game switching onto Shannon on pick-and-roll plays intended to clear a path to the rim for Shannon.

“It’s definitely a lot better being his teammate than playing against him,” Wahl said. “He’s an absolute load. He comes downhill. He can shoot the ball. He can pass. He’s smart. He’s picking up things. You can tell he’s a great basketball mind, so I’m really excited to get out there and see what we can do together.”

Wahl said he’ll bring a certain work ethic, energy and what he calls a “positive impact” to the team.

“He plays hard, he plays really hard,” Wolves summer league coach Chris Hines said. “He has a nose for the ball. He can offensive rebound. He’s a smart guy. We can definitely utilize him.”

Wahl, 23, impressed enough before draft night that the Wolves called his agent soon after the draft ended without Wahl being picked.

“I feel like I had a pretty good [predraft] workout here,” Wahl said. “Then, just talking with my agent, we might have heard some rumblings or stuff along those lines. We feel we had some idea what was going to happen. … It’s awesome. I mean, it’s really a dream come true, being here, being in my hometown, only 30 minutes from home.

“I really couldn’t ask for a better spot. I’m just excited to get going. Here we go.”