The Minnesota Timberwolves offseason starts this week at the 2024 NBA Draft. Coming off a successful regular season and convincing playoff run, Minnesota’s core group is solid, but will they make any significant moves? Let’s get into it.
2024 Offseason Preview: What’s Next For The Minnesota Timberwolves?
Season Recap
The Timberwolves’ offseason follows a third-seeded conference spot and one playoff sweep under their belts. The 2023-24 NBA season was undoubtedly a full-on “stepping into the limelight” affair for Anthony Edwards, aka Ant-man. He quickly took over the league with his throwdown dunks and overall play. Many have Edwards as the new face of the league, or soon to be, anyway.
The regular season, including the playoffs, was an overall successful one for Minnesota. After questions circled the fit of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert going into the season, their pairing proved to work well. Gobert was awarded his 4th Defensive Player Of the Year, and KAT had a stellar season of his own. After sweeping Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs, the Timberwolves dispatched the then reigning defending NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets, in seven. Eventually losing in five games to the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota went further in the playoffs than most suspected.
As Anthony Edwards continues his ascent to NBA greatness, and with a formidable core surrounding him, the Timberwolves will look to the offseason to improve the roster and whatever else may come in order to make another deep run next season and maximize Edwards’s future with Minnesota.
Projected Cap Space and Draft Picks
- Over the Second Apron
The Timberwolves are currently owing Edwards, Towns, and Gobert roughly $141 million going into next year. Already, it’s an incredibly expensive roster. By the looks of it, the Timberwolves can be genuine contenders for the next few years, so the cap situation may not be the worst thing for the front office. However, making moves this offseason will be tight. Don’t expect anything significant to land on Minnesota’s lap. Notably, the Timberwolves are one of three teams over the second apron tax penalty. This limits their roster moves in a variety of ways, most notably they will only have minimum contracts to spend in free agency.
- 27th and 37th Overall Draft Picks
Primary Targets
Minnesota evidently has its set group of core players and a couple of excellent “next men up” who are stabilizing the bench. According to head coach Chris Finch, the Timberwolves are looking for “NBA-ready” players to come in and contribute.
Kevin McCullar from Kansas and KJ Simpson from Colorado are both guards who offer well-rounded games and productive college resumes. Simpson averaged 19.7 points as a junior while McCullar 18.3 points with a high IQ. Baylor’s Jalen Bridges is scouted as a three-and-D player, a skill set almost every NBA team looks for. He started every game for the Bears in his sophomore year, averaging 11.2 points with solid defense play.
James Shead out of Houston has been compared to the Knicks’ Miles McBride regarding tenacity and energy. His ability to get steals was a standout stat, as he averaged 2.2 this past season. Not a strong shooter like McBride, Shead averaged high assists, averaging 5.4 per game.
Pending Free Agents and Possible Timberwolves Off-Season Departures
Free Agents
- Monte Morris (Unrestricted)
- Kyle Anderson (Unrestricted)
- Jordan McLaughlin (Unrestricted)
- T.J. Warren (Unrestricted)
- Luka Garza (Restricted)
- Daishen Nix (Two-Way)
The Timberwolves don’t have a lot of key free agents, save for the biggest name on this list, Kyle Anderson. He’s stepped up as a key role player for the Timberwolves for the last two years. He’s a stout defender and shoots well from the three, and it’s a sure bet that several teams would like to acquire his services, provided he leaves Minnesota.
Trade Pieces
- Karl-Anthony Towns
A big trade involving Towns doesn’t seem likely; however, throughout the regular season, some quiet rumblings whispered about trading KAT throughout the league. We will see whether this is a reality that Minnesota would actually step into again. Crazier trades have happened in the NBA before, though. Coincidently enough, the Timberwolves were a part of a crazy trade just two years ago when they acquired Rudy Gobert. The possibility of a KAT trade is connected with the goal of getting out of the second apron and new ownership.
Apart from that, Minnesota trade pieces are thin, with only their draft picks available. Considering Minnesota doesn’t have a first-round pick until 2028 after this year, they might hold on to what they have and use it wisely this week at the draft.
Realistic Timberwolves Off-Season Targets
Trade
While not championship odds-changing pieces, Davion Mitchell, Garrison Matthews, and Seth Curry bring three-point shooting. All three players are solid kick-out shooters—an element Minnesota could value. Matthews shot 44 percent on 7.0 three-point attempts per 36 minutes, roughly on par with Naz Reid. As For Mitchell, he had the best three-point shooting year of his career, averaging 36.1 percent. A potential backup to Mike Conley, Mitchell could add solid point guard play and reignite his career with Minnesota.
Trae Young is the most unrealistic trade possibility here, but it’s worth pointing out that only recently has a connection between him and the Timberwolves started to light up. A trade for Young would almost certainly include Karl-Anthony Towns and future draft picks. Young’s future in Atlanta seems all but at a close end, and Atlanta needs draft assets and a big-time player. Towns could be that for them.
Free Agents
The Timberwolves’ offseason free agent plans could see them pursue several players on the market, offering smaller but productive deals. Patrick Beverly may be a surprise name on the list, but he played an integral role in his first stint as a Timberwolf, and his style of play and personality fit Minnesota. Ingles, Batum, and O’Neale all offer shooting and three-and-D capabilities. Ingles is familiar with Rudy Gobert, going back to their Utah Jazz days, as is O’Neale, who played 329 games with Gobert.
Alec Burks might be the best player on this list above all. A veteran guard who came on for the New York Knicks late in the playoffs proved that, given playing time, he can catch fire and score the basket. His shot-making and athletic long frame could make him a valuable off-the-bench piece. Burks has also spent time as Gobert’s teammate in Utah.
Minnesota clearly and loudly made a gigantic leap this past season, spending much of the campaign flip-flopping with the Nuggets and Thunder at the top of the Western Conference standings. Anthony Edwards is a flat-out star, and with an already solid roster and some minor but effective offseason additions, the Timberwolves are primed to make another deep run in the 2024-25 season.
