The Minnesota Timberwolves are entering the 2024-25 season as NBA Finals hopefuls after an excellent 2023-24 season. Their dominant defense helped secure them a spot near the Western Conference’s top, propelling them onto a deep playoff run. The Wolves will now need to capitalize on their momentum and build upon their last season’s success. Our 2024-25 Timberwolves odds betting preview will analyze the Karl-Anthony Towns trade and its effect on the Wolves win total.
2024-25 NBA Betting Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves Win Total Odds
*All Minnesota Timberwolves odds are courtesy of FanDuel.com*
Building A Foundation
Wolves Fans: it was a joy to share all the incredible moments that made this Wolves season so special with you all
Take a few minutes to relive the magical 2023-24 Minnesota Timberwolves season
THREAD⬇️pic.twitter.com/k7tkQ7ITQb
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 31, 2024
The Timberwolves showed last season that they are serious Western Conference contenders. Anthony Edwards has cemented himself as a budding superstar, and pairing him with the defensive excellence of Rudy Gobert is showing to be a potent combination. Last season, the Timberwolves over/under projected them for 44.5 wins. They went 56-26, finishing one game behind the number-one seed in the Western Conference and blowing their win total projection out of the water.
This season, their projected win total is 52.5. Surprisingly, this number has remained unchanged with the recent Knicks trade. The over/under juice opened at -110 both ways, but as the bet slips have come in (and adjusted post-trade), the odds have shifted to -132 for the under and +108 for the over.
Timberwolves Offseason Risks
"KAT my brother so that definitely hurt. … It wasn’t like a one or two situation, we both was the one."
Anthony Edwards opened up about Karl Anthony Towns at media day. pic.twitter.com/IKjgCAutSV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 30, 2024
After falling short of the NBA Finals last season, the Wolves decided to make a huge offseason trade to bolster their depth and flexibility. They cut bait with four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and replaced him with three-time All-Star Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. This trade came as a shock to the NBA world. The Knicks and Timberwolves are hopeful contenders, and it is unclear who is closer to contention after the trade.
Losing KAT could hurt the Timberwolves. Although they seemed to play just fine without him last season (14-6 without KAT), replacing his excellent shooting, floor spacing, and 20+ points per game will be difficult. Swapping Towns at the four with Randle is going to be a fit downgrade. Randle is a known ball-stopper, while Towns can play off the ball with his elite shooting touch, a difference that will impact Minnesota’s offense. Swapping KAT for Randle gives the Timberwolves future cap and trade flexibility but could hurt them in the short term.
The addition of DiVincenzo could be the defining factor of the trade. DiVincenzo had a breakout season for the Knicks last season, averaging 15.5 points on over 40% from three. His impact may be off the bench next season, but his rebounding and three-point shooting from the guard position will be welcomed in Minnesota.
Will Minnesota Regress?
The 52.5 win total projection implies that the Wolves are expected to regress next season. Beyond their headline-grabbing trade, the Wolves’ win total will be tied to the progression of Edwards. Edwards has increased his scoring and assist numbers each season. If he continues his rise to superstardom and Gobert can captain a top defense, the Timberwolves should be able to match their success from last season. On the other hand, shaking up the roster after a great season could prove to be a mistake.
