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Offseason focus

Evaluate the roster with Chris Finch as head coach

The roster outside of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards: Which players fit long term?

The direction in the draft (if they retain a top 3 pick)

How does the roster improve with limited flexibility?

Do they entertain extending Towns for an additional 2 seasons (starting in 2024-25)?

Draft assets

Future: The Timberwolves have their own future first-round picks.

Cash: $5.6 million (to send) | $5.5 million (to receive)

Cap space breakdown

The Timberwolves are in a position that a lottery team should not be in: right at the luxury tax. Because of the combined $100M owed next season to Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, Ricky Rubio, and Malik Beasley, Minnesota is projected to be $5 million below the $136M tax threshold. The Timberwolves will have the $9.5 million midlevel exception, but using more than $5.9 million will hard cap them. They also have the $3.7 million biannual exception, though using that would also trigger the hard cap.

Naz Reid originally had a July 20 guarantee date on his $1.8 million contract. That date is likely to be moved until the end of August. There is no offseason guaranteed date for the $1.8 million Jaylen Nowell contract. Towns has a 15% trade bonus in his contract.

Timberwolves Projected Depth Chart

PG Russell, Rubio
SG Beasley, Culver, Nowell
SF Edwards, Okogie, Layman
PF McDaniels, Hernangomez
C Towns, Reid


Team needs

A healthy Russell and Towns

PF to compliment Towns

Edwards to take a big step in his development

Extension eligible: Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, Ricky Rubio, Naz Reid, Jaylen Nowell and Josh Okogie (rookie)

Free-agent status

Ed Davis | Early Bird

Jarred Vanderbilt | Restricted | Bird

Jordan McLaughlin | Restricted | Early Bird

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I only posted the Timberwolves section of this 30 page story lol so don’t delete it mods lol

The Russell extension worries me. I’d forgotten about that.

He should probably say, “well if I’m really part of your core, why aren’t you offering me an extension?”

shrink wrote:The Russell extension worries me. I’d forgotten about that.

He should probably say, “well if I’m really part of your core, why aren’t you offering me an extension?”

He's not a diva like Jimmy

I think our best course is to fill in the gaps with more depth, try to make a big move for a frontcourt complement to KAT. Drop all the players who have little room in the rotation for (Layman, Culver) move one of our frontcourt pieces if we get a new starter (Vando, Juancho) and run it again.

We still have yet to see where our potential is with a healthy squad, we should get a good season or two of actively trying to win games so we can further evaluate how far we can go with a Dlo, Ant, Towns core. There is a lot more parity in the league right now than usual and there are openings to at least be a playoff team and win a series, this is our time to slip in one of those openings.

Team has to push hard to start winning now. No more tanking, no more wild experimenting at the cost of wins.

Calinks wrote:I think our best course is to fill in the gaps with more depth, try to make a big move for a frontcourt complement to KAT. Drop all the players who have little room in the rotation for (Layman, Culver) move one of our frontcourt pieces if we get a new starter (Vando, Juancho) and run it again.

We still have yet to see where our potential is with a healthy squad, we should get a good season or two of actively trying to win games so we can further evaluate how far we can go with a Dlo, Ant, Towns core. There is a lot more parity in the league right now than usual and there are openings to at least be a playoff team and win a series, this is our time to slip in one of those openings.

Team has to push hard to start winning now. No more tanking, no more wild experimenting at the cost of wins.

There will always be players the team has little room in the rotation for. That's just part of doing business when you have 15-man rosters and 10-man rotations. Hopefully, they don't cost over $6 million though, so you're right about Culver. Layman might be a little high, but I think that's at least palatable at under $4 million for a young veteran.

Klomp wrote:

shrink wrote:The Russell extension worries me. I’d forgotten about that.

He should probably say, “well if I’m really part of your core, why aren’t you offering me an extension?”

He's not a diva like Jimmy

Not sure I agree, and a player and his agent don’t have to be divas to want extensions. It feels like this team keeps bending over backwards to make Russell happy to be here - so we don’t know how he will react if they don’t do this too.

The Projected #1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft played HS ball in Minnesota. Did he sign with the Gophers?????

shrink wrote:The Russell extension worries me. I’d forgotten about that.

He should probably say, “well if I’m really part of your core, why aren’t you offering me an extension?”

Wolves have done nothing but make DLO feel like one of the most important players on this team.

I can see him and KAT sign extensions next year, what do the numbers look like on that?

DLO is getting paid way too much as it is. I'd be gauging his trade value.

TheAlanParsons wrote:DLO is getting paid way too much as it is. I'd be gauging his trade value.

Might as well start gauging KAT's value as well then.

shangrila wrote:

TheAlanParsons wrote:DLO is getting paid way too much as it is. I'd be gauging his trade value.

Might as well start gauging KAT's value as well then.

If KAT would be that petty, so be it.

Does sound as if Bolmaro will be on the team next season.

Team was looking so good together by end of season, and Beasley coming back means they have a completely stacked starting 5.
Very excited for 2021-22 and, while the Suggs story was a nice thought, really prefer that they played hard, came together for Finch and each other, and completely tanked that draft pick's value on those annoying Warriors asset pump-and-dumpers (do they ever shut up and let the rest of us enjoy some news cycles without the Pay Area ego all over everything?!). Can close up shop on that excellent trade (lol they're trying to push Wiggins as value) and take big steps this year with clear plan in place, motivated new ownership, everything.

Wow, I'm optimistic about the Wolves. Pinch me.

Baseline81 wrote:Does sound as if Bolmaro will be on the team next season.

Read on Twitter

His contract will start at $2,284,800, for those wondering

Was also mentioned somewhere that Ant will be in Vegas and might play one game, if at all

Heard an interview with Finch and he said all of the youg guys are going to be in the summer league. He also said that all the NBA teams are playing their guys, usually, there are a bunch of holdouts but this summer guys will be out there. Pretty exciting stuff. We are going to get lots of basketball over the summer to entertain us until the start of next sesaon.

Calinks wrote:Heard an interview with Finch and he said all of the youg guys are going to be in the summer league. He also said that all the NBA teams are playing their guys, usually, there are a bunch of holdouts but this summer guys will be out there. Pretty exciting stuff. We are going to get lots of basketball over the summer to entertain us until the start of next sesaon.

Keep in mind for someone like Jarrett Culver, this will be his first summer league.

Calinks wrote:We are going to get lots of basketball over the summer to entertain us until the start of next sesaon.

Last offseason was 288 days between regular season games. This offseason will be around 160 days or so, with summer league and Olympics in between.