The Minnesota Timberwolves' offseason has been filled with excitement and rightfully so, since they traded for LaMelo Ball and signed Jonathan Kuminga. In my eyes, they boosted their championship equity by landing a more talented second option and filling their biggest need of playmaking by adding Ball. While trading for LaMelo cost them their power forward depth, signing Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million contract was a perfect pivot.
Despite this, Minnesota hasn't reached the level that the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are at.
Now, I would argue that the Timberwolves are the biggest threat to these two juggernauts in the West. Regardless, those two teams should still be the clear favorites in the conference, and to make matters worse, this might be Minnesota's best chance to make a championship run.
The Timberwolves are still a notch below the Spurs and Thunder
The Wolves' starting five of LaMelo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Kuminga and Rudy Gobert is one of the most talented in the league. Furthermore, this group fits nicely together, and their blend of pace and shot creation will make them a difficult matchup. Ayo Dosunmu is an elite sixth man.
Minnesota's bench outside of Dosunmu has some upside, but it is banking on unproven young players such as Joan Beringer and Terrence Shannon Jr. to give them truly high-end depth. Likewise, the Wolves' frontcourt depth is clearly questionable.
The Spurs and Thunder don't have these same question marks. Sure, the Thunder sacrificed their depth by trading Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe. Nevertheless, their depth is still among the best in the league, with the likes of Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Nikola Topic and Bennett Stirtz; the Thunder can make up for these losses. Conversely, the Spurs clearly improved this offseason by adding Tobias Harris. Both teams also have more continuity than the Timberwolves.
I believe the Timberwolves' fast pace, the perimeter shooting between Ball and Edwards, paired with their numerous creation threats, gives them a real chance in a series against either of these squads. Furthermore, the Wolves did everything they could to catch up to the Spurs and Thunder. Still, the Wolves shouldn't be title favorites, and aren't as complete a team.
At the trade deadline, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly discussed the idea of having a puncher's chance to win the title. And while the Wolves have improved their chances this offseason, that's still what they're banking on to win a title. To be clear, the Timberwolves have a chance to win it all this season, but they aren't top-tier contenders until proven otherwise.
After such an exciting offseason, though, that's a tough pill to swallow in some ways.
The Timberwolves don't have many paths to further improve
Besides being a notch below the Spurs and Thunder this season, Minnesota's future isn't as bright as these two juggernauts. Now, the Wolves have a strong core of 26-and-under players, which is a clear plus. Gobert is the only member of the Wolves' core that is outside this timeline. However, the Wolves don't have many avenues to get better after moving all of their remaining tradable picks this summer.
As such, if things go south or it's clear they need to improve, doing so will be harder than ever.
On the other hand, per Capsheets.com, the Spurs have seven first-round picks in the next seven years while the Thunder have ten first-round picks in the next seven years. This gives both teams a path to make more future moves, and it also gives them a way to negate possible concerns that come with the second tax apron. Regarding the Spurs specifically, Victor Wembanyama is still just 22 years old. That's a scary thought.
With Kuminga likely entering free agency again, the Timberwolves' power forward room could be a major concern in 2027. In other words: despite the possible road bumps that come with a new team, this might be the Wolves' most complete roster in the Edwards era, and in turn, this might be their best chance to win it all.
The reality is that the Timberwolves have built a great team, one that could win a championship, but they are competing with genuine juggernauts, and simply being great might not be enough.
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