Once again, LeBron James has taken over free agency, and the entire NBA community is waiting for his next move. After 23 seasons in the league, James has earned the right to dictate his own ending, and multiple teams are in the picture.
Among them is the Minnesota Timberwolves, a rising Western Conference team that has emerged as a dark-horse candidate for the four-time champion. With other teams making a public appeal to James, Timberwolves star LaMelo Ball became the latest to advocate for his team, begrudgingly admitting he’s put a call in to the big man himself.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you’re thinking,” said Ball.
It wasn’t a very detailed reply from LaMelo, but it suggests that the Timberwolves are using multiple angles to recruit James. If that wasn’t enough, team President Tim Connelly made a separate pitch, appealing to the King’s desire to compete without sounding desperate.
“I think the recruitment is this team,” said Connelly. “He’s an unbelievable player, and whatever decision he makes will be the right one. I like who we are, and certainly we’re pretty proud of who we are. There’s a lot going on, and when you’re as great as he is, you should have optionality. I think, when you look at the team, it’s hard not to be excited about what we have. We have the best coach, amazing fans, and our success the last couple of years has been as good as anybody’s. With any free agent, this is a place you can have a lot of fun and win a lot of games. We’re trying to change the narrative of how this organization is viewed, so we’re proud of who we are. Wherever LeBron ends up, it’s gonna make that place much better, but it’s hard not to look at LaMelo and Jaden and Rudy and Ant and Josh and like who we are.”
Even at 41, LeBron would be an amazing addition for the Wolves. While not in his prime, he’s still coming off a respectable season in 2025-26, in which he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 51.5% shooting and 31.7% shooting from three. He could start at power forward alongside Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, giving Minnesota a balanced and star-studded frontcourt to pair with Edwards and Ball.
Without LeBron, the Timberwolves have made two Conference Finals appearances in the past three years. They’ve been a regular playoff team, on the cusp of something more. With LeBron, plus the addition of LaMelo, the Timberwolves could easily make a run to the NBA Finals. The only doubt is whether James would choose to live in Minnesota over San Francisco, Miami, or Cleveland.
In the end, if LeBron wants to win, there may be no better choice than the Wolves. From size to shooting to youth and star power, they have it all, and adding LeBron would only strengthen their position in the West. But with no indication about when or how LeBron will make his decision, all the Wolves can do is pass along their message and hope for the best.
