Timberwolves Offseason Earns Surprising Praise

You can’t get much closer to winning an NBA Championship without doing so than the Minnesota Timberwolves have the past two seasons. With consecutive trips to the Western Conference Finals, they have been bounced in both and are looking to get over the hump.

This offseason is a critical one with ownership changing hands and pieces needing to shuffle in Chris Finch’s rotation. Minnesota remains up against luxury tax implications, and that’s at least part of their reason to let Nickeil Alexander-Walker go elsehwere.

They did keep both Naz Reid and Julius Randle on new contracts, but have yet to put the finishing touches on the roster. When Tim Connelly strikes next is anyone’s guess, but the evaluation process has already started.

MN Timberwolves run it back this offseason

Short of using draft picks on Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarski, the Minnesota Timberwolves haven’t added much talent this offseason. They did keep most everything else together, and that has ESPN’s Kevin Pelton handing them a B- grade for their efforts.

“After trading Towns, the Timberwolves were able to manage their payroll to bring back the bulk of the team that has reached the past two conference finals. A new contract for Julius Randle pays him and Donte DiVincenzo a combined $43 million, far less than the $53 million Towns will make. Minnesota did have to let Alexander-Walker leave via sign-and-trade, opting instead to prioritize 2023-24 Sixth Man Award winner Naz Reid. Reid’s five-year, $125 million contract could be an overpay if he is unable to grow beyond a bench role.”

Kevin Pelton – ESPN

As Pelton points out, it’s a good thing that Minnesota added additional talent after getting out from Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract. I’m not sure Donte DiVincenzo is the asset that he may have been initially thought though.

Last season DiVincenzo shot just 42.4% from the field and 39.7% from deep. Both of those numbers trailed his 2023-24 marks with the New York Knicks (44.3%/40.1%). He was virtually non-existent in the playoffs, and took quite some time to integrate during the regular season.

I don’t have an issue paying Reid a substantial amount of money as his value is worth far more than a traditional sixth man. That said, the Timberwolves have yet to make an addition either. The frontcourt may see Beringer get time during his rookie season, but that hasn’t been customary for Finch-coached teams.

Related: Minnesota Timberwolves Pick Called Steal of NBA Draft

The Minnesota Timberwolves should have regular minutes for Terrence Shannon Jr. this season. If Rob Dillingham can earn them that would be a boost.

Where is the MN Timberwolves point guard?

A key missing piece, that has yet to be addressed, is an additional playmaking point guard. Ideally a clone of Ricky Rubio would work for this team. Lonzo Ball was a potential option that is off the table, and so too is fan-favorite and Minnesota-native Tyus Jones.

There are still some names on the open market, but Minnesota must act. Mike Conley is 37 years old and averaged a career-low 8.2 points per game last season. He often was left unattended to being overlooked as an option, and that doesn’t work from the starting lineup.

Related: MN Timberwolves Remain Near Top of NBA Power Rankings

Dillingham may eventually be the successor, but asking him to make that leap after what we saw in year one is largely false hope. The more that Finch can get Anthony Edwards moving off the ball, the better he can attack defenders.

This offseason seems like it should be graded more in the “C” range with the only moves completed being those that were expected. It’s time for Connelly to put the final touches on the roster and do so in the critical spots.