The Minnesota Timberwolves are resting comfortably in the eye of an NBA hurricane, a tempest of their own making thanks to their unexpectedly aggressive actions to improve their current roster. In what may have been a coldly calculated risk, the Timberwolves sent four picks, a pick swap, and five players to the Utah Jazz for an All-Star center in Rudy Gobert.
Not only did the Timberwolves acquire an ideally suited veteran rim protector for their roster. But in what may have been one of the most inspired, coldly-calculated moves of the NBA in this century, the Timberwolves pushed the opening bid on any number of players who sought to be traded this off-season so sky high that the Timberwolves single-handedly shut down the NBA Trade market.
And in the midst of the chaos, the Minnesota Timberwolves are doing all of the right things, saying all of the right things, and playing it so cooly, calm, and collected, that you have to wonder if there is another ace up their sleeve?
The NBA is no longer a league that allows a burst of roster moves, and then a sabbatical for months while the coaches and players duke it out. It’s a 24-by-7 work session that is as much about creating a roster capable of winning it all as it is about maintaining, repairing, and projecting the roster transactions to sustain those winning ways. It’s more chess than checkers, and the Timberwolves have the equivalent of Bobby Fisher at the helm.
And so, when Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly was asked if he was done, he responded by pointing out that the team has a couple of roster spots to fill.
I asked #Timberwolves POBO Tim Connelly after the KAT presser if he was done (making moves) for the summer: pic.twitter.com/eNm7Gg2i7M
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) July 22, 2022
Hmmm . . . Now there’s some food for thought. We know that the team scouted guard Dennis Smith Jr. in his recent workout, and we know that there was some interest in center DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins.
Translating NBA-exec speak, I believe that the Timberwolves would love to add a veteran if the price is right. Finding the right player at the right price is not quite a slam dunk at the moment. In the end, the team must be able to pay for everyone and have an adequate role in terms of playing time for each player.
But don’t close the book on more roster moves just yet.