A year ago, the Timberwolves’ trade for Rudy Gobert looked like a huge mistake.
Minnesota gave up three solid players, a promising rookie, and several future draft picks for Gobert.
In his first season with the team, they won only 42 games compared to 46 the previous year.
Despite calls to trade either Gobert or Towns during the offseason, Minnesota kept their core together. They believed better health for Towns and more time for Gobert to adjust would help them.
Fans might think this was a risky move but it paid off big time. The Timberwolves ended up with a 56-26 record, just one game shy of the best in the Western Conference. Gobert found his groove and led them to have the NBA’s top defensive rating.
Their playoff run was impressive too. They swept past Durant and Booker’s Suns in round one and then defeated the defending champs, Nuggets, in seven games. However, they fell short in the Western Conference finals against Dallas.
Challenges Ahead:
Even though their season ended on a disappointing note against Dallas, it was still a success overall. Edwards became a star and their defense was rock solid. But now they face new challenges: keeping their key players as costs rise and settling ownership disputes.
Edwards, Towns, and McDaniels are due for big raises which will push team salaries over $200M including luxury taxes—ouch! Meanwhile Glen Taylor battles Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez over who will own most of the team.
The roster is strong enough to compete for titles but staying above that second tax apron limits moves they can make without knowing who pays those hefty bills.
The Offseason Plan:
First off—the cap situation looks tight! Towns’, Gobert’s & Edwards’ contracts alone eat up nearly all of next year’s salary cap ($141M). Add McDaniels at $23M plus others like Reid & Conley—it gets expensive fast!
If no cost-cutting happens soon—they might end up paying around $75M just in luxury taxes!
Some teams wouldn’t mind such high figures if it meant having title chances (like Clippers or Warriors), but Wolves haven’t been big spenders historically under Taylor nor is it clear if Lore/Rodriguez would be either given their financial struggles buying into ownership so far.
Towns could be traded if cap needs trimming since he’s not as crucial offensively anymore thanks to Edwards’ rise plus defensively pairing him with Gobert isn’t ideal always—but finding good value back while shedding his max contract won’t be easy under new CBA rules making trades tougher!
My guess? Wolves likely stick mostly together this summer; Connelly showed patience before letting talent gel last season which worked well overall despite some hiccups late on court—and ownership issues probably drag out longer too meaning no drastic cuts soon from Taylor avoiding bad PR after best season seen here decades!
If major moves aren’t happening expect quieter offseason focusing depth beyond top seven players already set (Edwards-Towns-Gobert-McDaniels-Conley-Reid-Alexander-Walker).
Wolves control picks #27 & #37 draft adding cheap prospects possibly replacing departing free agents needing minimum deals otherwise finding veterans like Lowry/Payne/Burks/Walker/Holiday fitting budget constraints left by heavy tax penalties looming overhead…
What do you think about this? Should they keep everyone or make changes?
