Minnesota Timberwolves Offseason Outlook
Entering this season, there were a few teams across the NBA that were labeled as teams that were expected to make the leap from the middle ground to the top of the standings. A couple of those teams did achieve that, most notably the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks. There were, as there always are, a couple of teams that came out of almost nowhere. This year, that was the Minnesota Timberwolves, led by Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns. They finished the season with a 56-26 record, good for the third seed in the Western Conference and took their playoff run all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they fell to the Dallas Mavericks. Looking into the offseason, the Timberwolves have a lot of decisions to make, starting in their front office and ending with their roster.
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Which Direction Will Ownership Take?
In what was supposed to be a season of success and enjoyment for the Timberwolves, who have long strived for contention in the Western Conference, they were riddled with conflict when it came to their ownership. Spats between majority owner Glen Taylor and minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore saw the organization garner a lot of negative attention. Moving forward, the team’s flexibility heavily depends on how flexible ownership is with spending enough money to keep the team together. The Wolves aren’t in a good financial position as it stands, and Taylor has historically not chosen to not pay the luxury tax, choosing instead to trade away big names and large contracts. If A-Rod and Lore are able to gain more control, Minnesota could pay enough to keep the team intact and run things back. If not, the trade rumors surrounding Towns will grow louder and louder.
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Playmaking Off the Bench
Mike Conley was asked to do a lot throughout this season when it came to playmaking and helping Rudy Gobert to become a contributor on the offensive side of the ball. He performed well, but at the end of the year, his heavy minutes and workload took their toll and he became less effective, especially in the postseason after the Timberwolves’ sweep of the Phoenix Suns in the first round. A playmaking point guard should be at the top of the Wolves’ target list, either in the draft or in free agency. There are a few veteran point guards hovering around the end of the first round, where the Wolves will be picking, including Marquette’s Tyler Kolek and UConn’s Cameron Spencer. In free agency, guards will be available for signing, but the Timberwolves are more likely to find one in trades given their financial situation. Regardless, Minnesota needs to find one or develop one of their young guards, like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, into a capable playmaker to help them next season and beyond.
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KAT: The Seven Foot Domino
If the Timberwolves decide that they want to save money and position themselves for future seasons, the likely casualty is Karl Anthony-Towns. There are mock trades flying around that have Towns going to teams across the country, from Golden State all the way to Orlando. Making the trade will help general manager Tim Connelly acquire the necessary pieces to fill out the roster, but fans will undoubtedly push back due to the relative lack of success in the Timberwolves’ history. Their run in 2024 was as deep as they’ve gone since the Kevin Garnett-led team all the way back in 2001. Adding on to that, there is a world in which Naz Reid, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, takes another step forward and slides into the starting power forward spot for the Wolves next season. Regardless, things will happen quickly in Minnesota as soon as the ownership situation works itself out, showing that the front office has a lot(maybe too much) influence on the team’s construction compared to what many fans think.
