The 2025 Wolves Off Season

[FrenchMinnyFan]

Roster is quite good, not ideal but good enough to be a contender if ANT, Jaden , keep improving.

Main risk are at PG position. Mike is 38 years old and will have to stay healthy. Rob is a bet. Hope a winning one.
C position may also become a problem. If Rudy is injured, NAZ playing there with Randle is not a good combo. Not enough rebound, defense... Hope Joan learn fast and can contribute whcih i think he will.

We will need a bit of luck to go for the ring but all teams need luck. OKC was heatlhy all year, as was Boston when they win.

[Klomp]

Bringing this over to a more appropriate thread.

I’m not saying we’re a bad team, and we have the chance for internal growth. And the playoffs wins rose expectations. But I wouldn’t disagree with anyone who said we have been a mediocre playoff team that got some upset wins. And most of our rivals in the West got better in the off-season, while we probably declined.

I don't mean to single you out shrink, but yours was the first post that I could find referring to the topic that I wanted to address....

I get that it's fun and exciting to "win the offseason" with big, flashy news. We see commentary like David Aldridge ranking the Timberwolves as having the 20th-best offseason. But sometimes, the flashy moves aren't the right ones.

Who won the offseason last summer? OKC, so of course, this should be a point in favor of making the big moves, right?
Second-best 2024 offseason? Philadelphia. Oops.
What were the other West teams that dominated the 2024 offseason rankings? Sacramento (6), San Antonio (9), and Dallas (10). Again, oops.
11 and 12? Utah and New Orleans. How's that working out for them?!
We actually came in 13th, in large part due to the draft-day trade for Rob Dillingham (this was a full month before the KAT trade happened).
The five worst 2024 offseasons in the West? Lakers (24), Clippers (27), Nuggets (28), Blazers (29) and Grizzlies (30). Four of the five teams made the playoffs in the West gauntlet, while five of the six best offseasons were watching the playoffs from home.

[Folklore]

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I've never seen a player at Rico's turn the ball over as many times as Randle did.

[KGdaBom]

So quiet here lately. Come on we need some news.

[Klomp]

So quiet here lately. Come on we need some news.

Only like 5 more weeks until training camp....then things will come quick!

[FrenchMinnyFan]

Off season run fast this year. Lots of work, some golf courses ( plenty of double and triple B..) and WNBA game.... another one month and here we are. Go Wolves !

[minimus]

Watch on YouTube

[Biff Cooper]

I hope our playoff success did not lead to a “stand pat” mentality.

I would never dismiss the Wolves making the WCF last season. They beat who they had to beat, including upsetting the favored Lakers. But going into the playoffs, I would say that in the west, there was OKC, and MIN was in a tier with seven other teams takentwise to challenge the Thunder.

While MIN should improve next year with internal growth and continuity, Tim Connelly wasn’t able to address the Wolves biggest problems through trades or free agency. I hope we don’t see them slide as we see rivals improve.

We are still a young team. As long as we are improving by internal growth and continuity, it makes a lot of sense to stand pat. There are quite a few examples out there of teams that have made a big leap forward by improved continuity and understanding each other's games.

[Klomp]

I hope our playoff success did not lead to a “stand pat” mentality.

I would never dismiss the Wolves making the WCF last season. They beat who they had to beat, including upsetting the favored Lakers. But going into the playoffs, I would say that in the west, there was OKC, and MIN was in a tier with seven other teams takentwise to challenge the Thunder.

While MIN should improve next year with internal growth and continuity, Tim Connelly wasn’t able to address the Wolves biggest problems through trades or free agency. I hope we don’t see them slide as we see rivals improve.

We are still a young team. As long as we are improving by internal growth and continuity, it makes a lot of sense to stand pat. There are quite a few examples out there of teams that have made a big leap forward by improved continuity and understanding each other's games.

That and we have recent history here of how one offseason of continuity after making a significant change the previous offseason can make a massive difference in the team's performance.

[Klomp]

I read a lot of opinions expressing that because Ant is five years into his career, we should be basically be a finished product as a team.

When Nikola Jokic was five years into his career, he had not won MVP yet. He had not taken his team to the Finals yet. In fact, Ant has twice finished higher in MVP voting than Jokic did one in his first five years in the NBA.

It takes time to build a championship roster, even when you have one of the game's greats.

Now yes, this is the point going forward where Jokic started finishing first or second in MVP voting, but we are also still three years away from the point where Jokic won his first title. I'm not saying all things are equal, but I think it's also important to note that all hope shouldn't be lost if we don't win a championship this season.

[KGdaBom]

I read a lot of opinions expressing that because Ant is five years into his career, we should be basically be a finished product as a team.

When Nikola Jokic was five years into his career, he had not won MVP yet. He had not taken his team to the Finals yet. In fact, Ant has twice finished higher in MVP voting than Jokic did one in his first five years in the NBA.

It takes time to build a championship roster, even when you have one of the game's greats.

Now yes, this is the point going forward where Jokic started finishing first or second in MVP voting, but we are also still three years away from the point where Jokic won his first title. I'm not saying all things are equal, but I think it's also important to note that all hope shouldn't be lost if we don't win a championship this season.

A title this year would be nice. Next year or the year after would be nice also. Odds are we don't win it all, but I think we have a chance.

[BlacJacMac]

I read a lot of opinions expressing that because Ant is five years into his career, we should be basically be a finished product as a team.

When Nikola Jokic was five years into his career, he had not won MVP yet. He had not taken his team to the Finals yet. In fact, Ant has twice finished higher in MVP voting than Jokic did one in his first five years in the NBA.

It takes time to build a championship roster, even when you have one of the game's greats.

Now yes, this is the point going forward where Jokic started finishing first or second in MVP voting, but we are also still three years away from the point where Jokic won his first title. I'm not saying all things are equal, but I think it's also important to note that all hope shouldn't be lost if we don't win a championship this season.

SGA didn't win a single Playoff series until his 6th year.

Ant finished his 5th year at 23. With a Playoff record of 21-21
SGA finished his 5th year at 25. With a Playoff record of 5-8

[Klomp]

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[KGdaBom]

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To add one of the best volume three point shooters in the NBA is interesting. Beasley IMO has been given too long of a leash. My gut reaction is to stay away.

[FrenchMinnyFan]

Still find a bit funny some people seems to regret we did not make a big trade adding a star with Ant. How many teams in the last decade go all in adding star and failed? a lot from Clippers, Phoenix....and few make it through. OKC take his time to build and they have only one superstar (as we do) but a complete roster with high level defense. Trying to do the same here make sense for me. After trading KAT, we decide this team will be ANT team. i'm convinced he may works.

[theGreatRC]

I'm so desperate that i'd take Beasley on a minimum deal. #2 3pt leader off the bench alongside the top 3pt makes leader would be amazing.

[KGdaBom]

I'm so desperate that i'd take Beasley on a minimum deal. #2 3pt leader off the bench alongside the top 3pt makes leader would be amazing.

It's tempting, but too much baggage.

[Wolveswin]

I read a lot of opinions expressing that because Ant is five years into his career, we should be basically be a finished product as a team.

When Nikola Jokic was five years into his career, he had not won MVP yet. He had not taken his team to the Finals yet. In fact, Ant has twice finished higher in MVP voting than Jokic did one in his first five years in the NBA.

It takes time to build a championship roster, even when you have one of the game's greats.

Now yes, this is the point going forward where Jokic started finishing first or second in MVP voting, but we are also still three years away from the point where Jokic won his first title. I'm not saying all things are equal, but I think it's also important to note that all hope shouldn't be lost if we don't win a championship this season.

SGA didn't win a single Playoff series until his 6th year.

Ant finished his 5th year at 23. With a Playoff record of 21-21
SGA finished his 5th year at 25. With a Playoff record of 5-8

If I cared to look it up, I am positive I can find examples of many really good players who made playoffs early in career but fizzled out - not many playoffs after nor chips to speak of. Point being, no guarantee Edwards sees another WCF or a chip just because he has ton of playoff experience early. We all hope he is not in that group of players - and rather in group that had playoff success early AND later including a chip.

[Devilzsidewalk]

I'm so desperate that i'd take Beasley on a minimum deal. #2 3pt leader off the bench alongside the top 3pt makes leader would be amazing.

It would be kinda nice having the 2 most prolific 3 point shooters from last season. He'd almost certainly take the entire NAW minutes allocation though - maybe more. I wonder if they're picturing a follow-up Donte trade in that scenario. Otherwise he'd be playing almost exclusively at point guard and TSJ and Clark and Dillingham would be back to playing the scraps leftover minutes.

[Guest84]

https://www.youtube.com/live/YzmxOueSwcY?si=X61-6dd0ljsxAck7