The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team that is rolling the dice and appears for all intents and purposes to be singularly focused on winning the NBA Championship. Well, that was the statement of the obvious, wasn’t it? I mean, all 30 NBA teams pursue the NBA Championship each year, whether or not that team has a realistic shot at even making the NBA Playoffs.
While the Minnesota Timberwolves made the NBA Playoffs last year, there are no guarantees about their returning to the NBA Playoffs this year. That is just one of the reasons that make this offseason so very important for the team.
So important that the owners held a massive search for the best of the NBA’s best. That resulted in the team signing former Nuggets Tim Connelly to assume the role of President of Basketball Operations for the team. Now with Connelly in place, the team can pivot from the front office to the future financial outlook for the team.
Thanks to D’Angelo Russell’s $31.38 million hitting the books this year, the Timberwolves’ salary cap is already in excess of the $121 million ceiling by a significant amount. But as we quickly find in some excellent work done by Dane More (below), the Timberwolves’ interest in taking on new players may focus upon the 2023 window:
Because KAT made All NBA, he is now eligible to sign a 4-year, $211M supermax — starting in 2024.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) May 25, 2022
In 2024, Anthony Edwards can also start a 5-year, $195M max. Jaden McDaniels is also up for a new contract in 2024.
A little clip, explaining why 2023 is the Wolves time to add. pic.twitter.com/jwlDziDje0
What that means is that the window to bring in a new play at a maximum contract is limited to next year. So the Timberwolves could be considering the 2022 NBA Draft as their primary roster-building strategy for this offseason.
The front office will likely consider the financial status of 2023 if and when engaging in any trade talks as well. So this is a good component to keep in the back of your mind. You can bet the Timberwolves will.