The Minnesota Timberwolves went farther than most expected this season, but it wasn’t far enough in the eyes of those within the organization. From the top down, every Timberwolves member felt the sting of their latest defeat, which fell short of matching last year’s run to the West Finals.
So, with their offseason now officially underway, it’s no surprise that the Timberwolves have dreams of a major acquisition. At the very least, Timberwolves GM Tim Connelly confirmed that his team plans to be “aggressive” in their pursuit to upgrade the roster around their star shooting guard, Anthony Edwards.
“We know our competition is not going to sit still, and nor will we,” Connelly said, via ESPN. “If we mess up, we’ll mess up loudly. We’re going to try to be as aggressive as possible.”
The Wolves aren’t far off from title contention. Between Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Joan Beringer, the Timberwolves have a solid core of young athletes that they can build around for years to come. Plus, with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid, they have plenty of established veterans to dangle in trade talks. Regardless of how it plays out, Minnesota is determined not to be complacent.
“We have a lot of confidence in our guys, but it would be disingenuous to sit in front of this group and say we’re happy with the sixth seed, we’re happy with not being a home-court playoff team, we’re happy that our last three closeout games have been lopsided,” Connelly added. “We have to be realistic about what we have, which is way more good than bad, but we know that we’re not good enough right now.”
There’s not just one reason the Timberwolves lost that Spurs series, but the biggest factor was talent and depth. Overall, the Spurs have a better-built roster, and it showed in almost every aspect of the series. For Tim Connelly, his mission is clear: upgrade the roster so his team can keep up with top contenders in the West, specifically the Thunder and the Spurs.
“We don’t win because of one player, lose because of one player. I think when we lost in the fashion we lost to San Antonio, because they were clearly the better team, and we have to look at the collective, me included, the whole building,” Connelly said. “What can we all do better to ensure that we don’t see the same result next season?”
With the Wolves committed to change, the focus now shifts to finding a favorable deal. Even with so many assets, making the right move will not be easy, but a few names have already emerged as ideal targets. Notably, Edwards wants to play with Kyrie Irving, and the Timberwolves are feeling increasing pressure to make it happen. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has also been linked to Minnesota, but his loyalty remains in Memphis for now.
The Timberwolves already made their “aggressive” push years ago, with the acquisition of Rudy Gobert in exchange for five first-round picks and multiple role players (including Jarred Vanderbilt, Patrick Beverley, and Malik Beasley). While that deal may have gotten them closer to their goals, it clearly wasn’t enough for them to beat out their competition in the West. Hopefully, their decisions this summer will change that.
