Minnesota Timberwolves News: Timberwolves free agency early recap

The Minnesota Timberwolves wasted no time inking a four-year $224 million supermax extension with NBA All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, according to his agent Jessica Holtz of CAA Basketball. It’s a deal that could keep the seven-year franchise veteran in Minnesota for the foreseeable future, but it was only the Timberwolves’ opening act:

The Minnesota Timberwolves star center has led the team to two playoff berths over the span of his career. But on each occasion, the team has failed to make it out of the first round.

NBA Playoff perils

In the 2018 NBA Playoffs, Towns and the Timberwolves fell in a rather humbling fashion to the Houston Rockets (4-1). After a couple of years of struggle, the Timberwolves (seventh seed) returned to post-season action in the 2022 NBA Playoffs to face the second-seed Memphis Grizzlies.

While the Wolves knotted up the series and appeared to have Game 5 well in hand, the team lost the final two games of the series and fell to the Memphis Grizzlies (4-2). While the early departure from the NBA Playoffs is discouraging, the Timberwolves proved to themselves and to the NBA that the team is close to leaping up to the top-tier of the NBA.

Like most NBA franchises in small markets, the Timberwolves have felt that their greatest opportunity for success was to build their roster out of the annual NBA Draft. And as expected,  the first pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, Karl-Anthony Towns has been the key to their success. But the key to true success in the NBA is not to stand pat on one NBA All-Star but to acquire more stars.