The Timberwolves are about a week removed from finishing their most successful season in 20 years and reaching the Western Conference finals for just the second time in franchise history.
Should Timberwolves ‘run it back’ with same roster next season?
The temptation after a breakthrough season is to try to build on that success with the same cast of characters. But the reality is that it doesn’t always work because each season is unique.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
June 5, 2024 at 5:00PM
Seven of their top eight rotation players are under contract for at least 2024-25, and the Western Conference should be winnable for any number of teams next season.
The easy answer to how they approach the offseason is this: run it back. Don’t fiddle with the core pieces of a roster that won 56 games and two playoff series. Work around the margins to shore up a couple of deficiencies, making a hard decision or two on non-starters, but otherwise resist the urge to do anything dramatic.
In sports, though, the easy answer isn’t always the right answer. The Wolves’ offseason is a little more complicated — enough so that it is worth putting together a list of pros and cons for trying next season to replicate (or hopefully exceed) this year’s results.
The case for running it back
*President Tim Connelly reportedly restructured his contract to move an opt-out clause down the road a year, as I talked about on Wednesday’s Daily Delivery podcast.
Connelly showed tremendous patience last year with the Wolves in keeping the roster intact, and he preached patience during his time in Denver — culminating in a cohesive roster that won an NBA title after he departed. He’s a big believer in continuity, and the results have followed.
*The Wolves still have young core players who should be ascending. Anthony Edwards took a big step this year, but he should have another gear or two. Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid can improve, too. There is reason to believe the Wolves can exceed this year’s accomplishments just from internal improvement.
*Minnesota finally has a winning team that fans can embrace. Why mess with a good thing?
The case for more considering more significant changes
*Every season is unique, and it is hard to simply expect the same results with the same players. Just ask the 2004-05 Timberwolves, who imploded a year after their only other conference finals trip. If you simply stand still, you run the risk of getting passed by other teams.
*This year’s Wolves had relatively good health that will be hard to replicate. All their top eight rotation players appeared in at least 62 games, and six of the eight appeared in at least 76 games. That sort of injury fortune suggests the Wolves might have overachieved this season.
*The Wolves are staring at some serious salary cap questions in future years. Would it be better to re-imagine their roster right now — with, perhaps, a Karl-Anthony Towns trade — in order to give themselves a more sustainable and longer-lasting window to contend?
Here are four more things to know today:
*Also on Wednesday’s podcast, the Star Tribune’s Kent Youngblood joined me to talk about the strong start for the Lynx and early reactions to WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark.
*The Twins lost 5-1 to the Yankees on Tuesday. The last time Minnesota faced New York, a sweep at Target Center started a seven-game losing streak.
*Frustrated Comcast subscribers who can’t watch the Twins won’t want to read this.
*Here’s a look back at how the Mavericks gamed the system last year.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
