After trading away several first-round picks (including center Walker Kessler, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting) to acquire Rudy Gobert last summer , the Timberwolves don’t have many ways to improve the roster going forward. They only have one draft pick in 2023, at No. 53 overall.
With huge contracts committed to Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, the only realistic pathway to drastically reshape the roster would seemingly be to trade Towns. The problem is he was limited to 29 regular season games after a severe calf strain, and he struggled in the playoffs for the second straight year, posting 10 assists against 18 turnovers while shooting 25% on threes in Minnesota’s first-round loss to Denver.
The Wolves still seem intent on keeping the two big men together, with head coach Chris Finch expressing optimism about the pairing after Game 5. Let’s say they retain both players and build out the roster with their limited available resources. There are plenty of other important decisions to be made this summer.
For starters, Naz Reid, Jaylen Nowell, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (RFA), Austin Rivers, Nathan Knight ($1,997,238 team option), Luka Garza (two-way) and Matt Ryan (two-way) are all possible free agents, while Mike Conley, Taurean Prince and Jordan McLaughlin have either partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed contracts for 2023/24.
Of that large group, Conley and Prince are likely to return, as both were important contributors. But Conley will be 36 years old when next season starts and is on an expiring contract, so finding a long-term solution at point guard will be a priority.
The Wolves have talked about wanting to re-sign or extend Reid, but he may be looking for a bigger opportunity in his first free agency foray. Alexander-Walker has expressed a desire to be back after providing impressive defense down the stretch.
The future of everyone else mentioned is very much up in the air. And with lucrative rookie scale extensions for Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels likely to be signed this offseason, the cap sheet for ’24/25 and beyond is looking pretty messy.
We want to know what you think. What should the Timberwolves do this offseason to build around Edwards? Which of their free agents should they re-sign, and which should they let go? Head to the comments section to share your thoughts.
The Wolves should stand pat, let McDaniels and Anthony develop. 29 games is to small of sample size to see if the Towns and Gobert combo can work, especially for what they invested in it.
I disagree. Rudy is not what was advertised, and when you over paid already I’m not sure how much time you really have to right that wrong. T Wolves know that without massive change, they will be fighting for an 8th seed spot for the next 5 years.
Trade KAT to Memphis
For whom and what?
Not exactly sure on the numbers but for Kennard, Adams and 2 firsts plus 1 swap
Adam’s is too old and Kennard is mostly just a shooter. We need a young point guard to take over in a year or to and a another 3 and d player. Memphis 1st’s will be late teens or mid 20s.
We would need to get back someone who maybe could be an all star one day.
Ant and McDaniels need to get paid. Keep Naz and trade Kat while he has the highest trade value to a team who needs a high scoring big man. You can’t waste another year of Ants development without starting g now to build around him. Need more scoring and defense and the hustle guys who keep you competitive.
Got a stud in Ant and no realistic way to build a contending team around him. No wonder Connelly wants out.
Kind of odd to say Connelly wants out of a situation and not mention that he’s responsible for creating it.
That said if TC goes from Joker to Ant to Kuzma he’s a freaking moron. That’s even dumber than doing the Rudy trade. If he actually wants that to be his foundation, after burning all the Wolves picks, they’re better off without him.
shouldnt this be apart of the offseason preview articles?
This team is cursed…
The star to build around is a dumb jock who bookended his season with serious mistakes that show his immaturity…
They’re about 5 years away from being a thing… But they are the Wolves, so in 5 years they’ll be talking about the next star…
You know A1 is only 21… I’m sure you didn’t make any immature decisions when you were his age.
I also didn’t have the advantages they did to not make these dumb moves…
And it’s not just the 2 that bookended his season… He’s been called out for his diet on a yearly basis and still eats at McDonald’s…
Either he is dumb and stubborn or he doesn’t have the people around him to guide him… or both…
The biggest problem, to me, is that KAT is just too passive. He’s not an aggressive, active defender, he doesn’t attack the rim the way he used to, and his rebounding, which used to be one of his biggest strengths, has been in decline for a while. If he actually played with some confidence, even like he did last year, he’d be more or less worth his contract. But he’s not.
I think it’s simple! KAT has to go! His money gets divided over the young guys to extend them and the T-Wolves can add a few veteran minimums to the bench