After making back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference finals in 2024 and 2025, the Timberwolves faced a cap crunch last summer. The team had three key free agents it hoped to retain, but - not wanting to operate above the second tax apron for a second straight year - ultimately decided it was prudent to re-sign only two.
That meant a new five-year, $125MM investment in big man Naz Reid and a three-year, $100MM contract for forward Julius Randle, while guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker departed for Atlanta on a four-year deal worth a little over $60MM.
Randle was Minnesota's second option on offense behind Anthony Edwards, while Reid was an important part of the frontcourt who had emerged as a perennial Sixth Man of the Year contender, winning the award in 2024. So it made some sense that the Timberwolves' front office prioritized those two players over Alexander-Walker, a backcourt reserve who essentially functioned as a three-and-D role player.
A year later, it's fair to wonder if the Wolves should've given Alexander-Walker a chance to earn more responsibilities on offense. In his first year with the Hawks, the 27-year-old more than doubled his scoring average (from 9.4 to 20.8 points per game) while setting new career highs in field goal percentage (45.9%) and three-point percentage (39.9%). He was named the NBA's Most Improved Player this spring.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course, and it's not as if Alexander-Walker's exit resulted in a huge fall-off for the Timberwolves, who finished with a 49-33 regular season record identical to the one they posted in 2024/25. But with Mike Conley no longer playing a featured role in the backcourt and 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham not stepping up to earn more consistent minutes, Minnesota felt the need to add another guard at the trade deadline, sending Dillingham and four second-round picks to Chicago as part of a package for Ayo Dosunmu.
A year after opting against paying Alexander-Walker, the Timberwolves will be under pressure to pony up for a new deal for Dosunmu when he reaches unrestricted free agency this offseason. And even if they're able to work something out with Dosunmu, running back the same roster probably isn't an appealing option for president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and his front office after the Wolves failed to make it back to the Western Conference finals in 2026 -- an upset victory over the Nuggets in the first round was followed by a second-round loss to the ascendant Spurs.
Few teams have experienced the kind of postseason success that Minnesota has over the past three years. The Timberwolves' 24 playoff wins during that stretch rank fourth overall, behind two teams that have won titles (Boston and Oklahoma City) and one that's a pair of victories away from doing so (New York). Those 24 playoff wins across the past three years also exceed the 21 the Wolves registered during the franchise's 34 years in existence.
But winning just one playoff series this spring after advancing to the third round in each of the previous two years creates the impression that Minnesota took a step back. With Edwards becoming extension-eligible and reportedly feeling as if roster changes are necessary in order to make the Wolves a legitimate title contender, Connelly will have to get creative this summer as he looks to upgrade this squad and keep his superstar guard happy.
The Timberwolves' Offseason Plans
Before we explore what the Timberwolves could do with their roster in the coming weeks and months, let's take a quick look at their financial situation entering the summer.
