The Timberwolves have made it clear that they believe Anthony Edwards is the future of the franchise, and by extension the player they need to build around in order to ascend beyond the fringes of playoff contention.
Actions and words merged Monday in that regard, as the Wolves held a news conference with Edwards in Las Vegas to talk about his five-year contract extension that could pay him as much as $260 million.
"You have a great support system, and you're a joy to be around," Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said to and about Ant. "The best basketball is in front of you."
But as I talked about on Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast, it does not feel as though the Wolves' belief in Edwards yet matches the way they are constructed. It may well be Edwards' team, but it is not yet his roster.
Though Edwards on Monday expressed optimism because the Wolves are "young" and will "get a lot better," their roster is still loaded with expensive veterans who don't necessarily complement Edwards' ability to attack gaps and play with pace.
Big men Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns were an awkward fit in Year 1, and it will take dramatic improvement in Year 2 of the experiment to make me think the idea of running it back — which the Wolves seem committed to at this point — is anything but a huge mistake.
Even if Towns and Gobert fit better together this year, they stand to make a combined $96 million the following year. Something needs to give, and that thing is almost certainly a Towns trade.
A Towns trade would be more than a symbolic passing of the torch to Edwards. A potential deal sometime in the next year will help the Wolves truly build around Edwards by acquiring draft capital lost in the Gobert trade and perhaps a succession plan to Mike Conley Jr. at point guard.
