A new era of Timberwolves basketball is upon us.
If Tim Connelly has proved one thing over his tenure as Minnesota’s president of basketball operations, it’s that he’s never afraid to make the big move. His trade for Rudy Gobert in 2022 was panned as one of the worst in NBA history. Then he moved D’Angelo Russell. Two years later, he sent fan-favorite Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks.
All that’s happened as a result the past four years has been, undoubtedly, the best stretch of Timberwolves basketball in franchise history. Minnesota appeared in the Western Conference finals in 2024 and ’25, and last season won 49 games and eliminated the Nuggets before running into Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
That wasn’t good enough. So, of course, Connelly did it again. He traded away franchise icon Naz Reid to Charlotte in exchange for LaMelo Ball, a 25-year-old playmaking guard who will now spend his prime playing alongside Anthony Edwards.
One anonymous NBA scout, however, is not completely sold on Ball’s impact.
“I don't know how much LaMelo Ball moves the needle,” the scout told Sports Illustrated. “I don't know that Minnesota's any worse. I think clearly they felt the need to have a point guard so that Edwards doesn't handle the ball as much, and I agree with that line of thinking. I just don't know how much LaMelo helps with that. They've migrated towards being more of an offensive team at times, and they were really selfish last year. I mean, they really played selfish. LaMelo won’t. So that could help.”
Ball wasn’t the only notable addition of the Wolves’ offseason, though. Jonathan Kuminga found himself stuck on the open market late in the offseason after failing to land the long-term deal he has long been seeking. In late August, Kuminga turned down a more lucrative three-year offer from the Lakers to sign a two-year, $12.4 million deal with Minnesota, which gives him the ability to hit free agency again next summer.
Kuminga should start plenty of games at the four alongside Ball, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert. But just like the Ball addition, at least one NBA scout isn’t sure it’s enough.
“I don’t see the Kuminga fit. He just shoots all the time,” the scout told SI. “I mean, what is he showing? When Golden State got Jimmy Butler, I was a high-end Kuminga guy, but I'm like, Oh, okay. You got Kuminga, you got Butler, you got Draymond Green. Those three guys are out there. You probably switch a ton, and they got great athleticism, and that can be really tough for teams. And then it wasn't because Kuminga doesn't play smart and he shoots all the time and couldn't fit in. I don't know, maybe if he's going to change the core of his being, then yeah, he helps, but I don't know. I don't see it.”
Offseason recap
- Who’s in: LaMelo Ball, Jonathan Kuminga, Trey Lyles, Cody Williams
- Who’s out: Kyle Anderson, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Julius Randle, Naz Reid
Julius Randle and his bully ball style wore out its welcome in Minnesota during the playoffs. While he was solid in the first-round series win against the Nuggets, he disappeared against San Antonio in the conference semifinals, averaging 12.8 points on 34.2% shooting from the field. As goes the Randle experience: when things are good, it’s great, but if he’s not on his game, it’s an ugly watch.
Connelly had seen enough. In June, he sent Randle to the Nets in a salary dump.
The Wolves also moved on from three culture-setting veterans in Kyle Anderson, Mike Conley and Joe Ingles. It’s officially Ant’s team now—on and off the floor.
SI’s prediction for the Timberwolves’ 2026-27 season
The Wolves have finished as a top-six seed in the West the past three years, and if everyone stays healthy, that shouldn’t change. All three of Sports Illustrated’s NBA writers predicted Minnesota will earn the No. 6 seed, at worst. Liam McKeone picked the Wolves to beat the Nuggets in the first round—yet again!—and lose to the Spurs in the conference semifinals.
Like most other teams in the West, for the Wolves it’s all about keeping up with the Spurs and Thunder. Nobody can, on paper at least. But the game of basketball is not played on paper. If Edwards can raise his game to an MVP level and Ball fits in seamlessly in Chris Finch’s system, the Wolves certainly have a chance at a title.
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