Timberwolves could be penalized by new NBA/NBPA agreement
By Bret Stuter
Nothing indicates that the off-season is officially upon an NBA team as the appearance of articles that cite the benefits or the penalties that may confront the Minnesota Timberwolves as a result of the new NBA/NBPA agreement.
Well, this is the offseason, so anything goes, right?
This could be something that you want to hear, or . . . not? We know that the Minnesota Timberwolves roster has been constructed in a rather top-heavy manner, with the team likely committing nearly somewhere in the ballpark of $140 million to Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels.
ESPN Sources w/ @BobbyMarks42: NBA and NBPA agreed to eliminate restrictions limiting a team to two designated super-max players. This would have a huge impact for Cavs, who have Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland on super max deals and Evan Mobley approaching rookie extension. https://t.co/LcI0Zjb3FF
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 2, 2023
So what does this all mean, and how might the Minnesota Timberwolves be penalized?
"“The league is implementing a second salary cap apron — $17.5 million over the tax line — and those teams will lose several key team building mechanisms, including the taxpayer mid-level exception, utilizing cash in trades, moving first-round picks in drafts that are seven years away, signing free agent players in the buyout market and taking on more money than is being sent out in trades, sources said.” – as per ESPN NBA Insider, Adrian Wojnarowski"
In short, the NBA has created additional penalties to thwart the efforts of the NBA’s perennial luxury tax teams like the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers. What effect do these new regulations have? Plenty, as the following deals in 2022 would not be permitted now:
- Golden State Warriors and Donte DiVincenzo
- Milwaukee Bucks and Joe Ingles
- Boston Celtics and Danilo Gallinari
- Brooklyn Nets and Patty Mills and John Wall
- LA Clippers and Norman Powell and Robert Covington
While the Minnesota Timberwolves have not been a team confronted by the NBA Luxury Tax in the past, their current roster places them into the fiscal danger zone going forward. With so much money being poured into four players, the Timberwolves will either need to renegotiate some contracts (unlikely) or consider trading one of the highly-compensated players.
The Timberwolves know what they are doing, and will have a plan of action for the offseason. But if you had noticed that Karl-Anthony Towns’ name is popping up frequently in NBA Trade Rumors lately, that’s the reason why.
Hot. Where are they now? Rundown of ex-Timberwolves players from 2021-22 season. light
Many expect the Timberwolves to shed KAT to give the team enough financial flexibility to maneuver under the new NBA/NBPA agreement. I’m not so sure that a trade is even on the table for the Minnesota Timberwolves right now. But this does add excitement to the Minnesota Timberwolves off-season, which is why we recommend you to stay tuned.