1 Key reserve the Timberwolves won't be able to afford this summer

The Minnesota Timberwolves are preparing to make adjustments to give themselves an even greater chance of winning an NBA championship next season. One of the hardest parts of pursuing a championship is leveling up after one of your greatest seasons in franchise history, and the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement does not make things any easier.

In order to assemble their current team, the Wolves had to bring together some incredibly talented players playing on a few massive contracts. With extensions set to kick in and the restrictive first and second aprons of the new CBA in place, Minnesota is going to be in a very tough position moving forward.

Karl-Anthony Towns will be earning just under $50 million next season, while Rudy Gobert will make $43.8 million. Factoring in Anthony Edwards' $42 million and Jaden McDaniels' $22 million salary, this team will have some unquestionably difficult decisions to make.

The Timberwolves will simply not be able to keep everyone on this roster going forward. Fortunately for their title chances, they will likely not be parting ways with any of their best players. Instead, they will be looking down the bench, and it is clear some players like Kyle Anderson become the odd man out.

The Timberwolves will have a hard time keeping Kyle Anderson

Becoming a free agent in less than two weeks on July 1, Anderson will of course be seeking a new deal in Minnesota. He has expressed that he desires to be back as much as his coaches and teammates do, but the money is simply the biggest issue.

Over the last two seasons, Kyle earned $18 million total. For the Wolves to pay him a similar amount going forward on a new deal, it would force them into the dreaded second apron and incur them significant roster-building restrictions. These new rules essentially penalize teams that succeed at building effective teams, but that is another conversation for another day.

Put simply, Minnesota will be hard-pressed to work out a deal for Slo-Mo. Perhaps he could come back on a minimum, but that may be as much as they can offer. Factor in Anderson's subpar play from this past season due to a lingering eye injury, and it might be next to impossible for him to negotiate a new deal for higher than the minimum.

This is an unfortunate reality of life in the modern NBA. Kyle may have had a down year, but fans know how valuable he is, and his impact was shown in a big way just a few weeks ago when he had success slowing down Luka Doncic in the Western Conference Finals. If the Timberwolves do indeed have to cut him loose, it would be a major loss for the bench's depth.