Timberwolves kept one eye on the future with free-agency moves

For some Timberwolves fans on social media, the team's moves in the first few hours of free agency Friday lacked the punch they were hoping to see. The Wolves didn't use the space they had under the luxury tax to chase a bigger name using the full mid-level exception of just over $12 million.

Instead, they brought in two new players and brought another one back for a combined $27 million over the next two years in Shake Milton, Troy Brown and the returning Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

The Wolves made their biggest splash in free agency the weekend before in reaching an agreement with Naz Reid on a three-year, $42 million deal, and that move had reverberations for what they were able to do once free agency opened — hence the lack of fireworks on Fourth of July weekend. They waived Taurean Prince, who took a one-year deal worth $4.5 million with the Lakers, three million less than he would have made with the Wolves had they guaranteed his contract.

Instead of trying to reel in one player with most or all of the mid-level exception, the Wolves spread the money around and have their roster almost all set for next season while coming in under the luxury tax threshold — an important marker for this team given it is likely to be above the tax line in the next few years.

They came into free agency looking for options at point guard behind 35-year-old Mike Conley, and while they may not have inked their starting point guard of the future, they have options should Conley get injured during the season.

They brought back Jordan McLaughlin for one more year to see if he could bounce back from an injury-plagued season. Both Kyle Anderson and Anthony Edwards could run the show at point guard for stretches while the addition of combo guard Milton is an intriguing one.

Milton, 26, played over 20 minutes per game each of the last four seasons for the 76ers.

His shooting has been up and down in his career, and he can be streaky. Last season he managed to improve to 38% from three-point range albeit on limited attempts (1.9 per game). Milton's usage diminished from two seasons ago after the 76ers acquired James Harden from the Nets in a trade.

When Harden and Tyrese Maxey were hurt for a stretch last season, Milton helped keep the 76ers afloat. In 11 games that he started, the 76ers went 7-4. One of those games when Maxey and Harden were hurt was a Nov. 19 loss in Philadelphia to the Wolves when Milton put up 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting. But by the playoffs, Milton was out of the rotation, hence the change of scenery.

The Wolves might be able to offer him more usage in their bench rotations and potentially allow Milton to flourish, and he could potentially start if Conley is out.

Brown, 23 and 6-6, appears to be a facsimile of what the 6-7 Prince provided. He averaged 7.1 points on 38% shooting from three-point range while offering some defensive hustle for the Lakers last season. Prince was at 9.1 points per game on 38% three-point shooting.

The acquisitions underscored what direction President Tim Connelly wants to head with the roster — young talent on inexpensive, team-friendly contracts. The front half of the Wolves' roster has plenty of older veterans like Conley and Rudy Gobert, both in their 30s. But the back half is full of young talent the Wolves acquired in the draft in recent years (Wendell Moore Jr., Josh Minott, Leonard Miller and Jaylen Clark) or in free agency.

Which parts of that back half emerge over the coming season can shape how the Wolves mold their team beyond this season once the expected contract extensions for Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are signed and the crunch of the luxury tax squeezes tighter around them beginning next offseason.

Alexander-Walker, who the Wolves already know can fit with them, Brown and Milton fit that roster-building philosophy. But these are marginal moves with one eye pointed toward now and one toward the future. The success of next year's team won't come down to what the Wolves did in free agency Friday.

That's still very much on the broad shoulders of Karl-Anthony Towns, Gobert and Edwards.