The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off one of the most impressive seasons in franchise history. After beginning the season as a relative afterthought, the Wolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years.
The Wolves won a franchise, second-best 56 games behind the excellence of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Co. Head coach Chris Finch was a Coach of the Year finalist, Naz Reid won the Sixth Man of the Year award, and Gobert was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Minnesota's future is extremely bright. However, it's likely several cap casualties exist on the current roster. The Wolves are well on their way to salary cap misery. Thus, notable names may hit the trade block as the offseason ensues. Additionally, a handful of the current Wolves' are doubtful to return as their performances don't align with their potential contract value.
Here, we'll highlight five players who shouldn't be back for the 2024-25 season.
5. Jordan McLaughlin
Timberwolves' guard Jordan McLaughlin has been a marginal player for quite some time now. The 6-foot guard averages 4.4 points and 3.1 assists for his career. This past season, the longtime Minnesota guard chipped in 3.5 points and 2.0 assists per game.
McLaughlin's time is likely up after five seasons in Minneapolis. He's a quality spot player, but his roster spot could be better used elsewhere. Typically, a player in McLaughlin's role is a specialist of some sort.
The diminutive guard isn't an above-average contributor in any metric. Sure, he's a good passer, but not exceptional by any means. If he was a knockdown shooter or staunch defender, McLaughlin's spot on the roster would assuredly be safer.
This past season, the former USC Trojan knocked down a career-high 47.2 percent of his 3-pointers. Prior to this year, he connected on just 30.8 percent of his looks from deep. Letting McLaughlin walk will ostensibly be sad, as he's become a mainstay, but the time has come.
4. T.J. Warren
Timberwolves' forward T.J. Warren has only appeared in 14 games for the organization. The former Indiana Pacer signed a 10-day contract with Minnesota in early March. After playing double-digit minutes for five consecutive games, the Wolves signed Warren to a second 10-day contract.
Following his second 10-day contract, Warren only played double-digit minutes once more. Giving the former 19-point-per-game scorer a second chance was a good decision at the time. Warren had displayed premier scoring talent before a rash of injuries displaced the veteran forward.
From 2020-21 and on, Warren only appeared in 57 games. Before the 2020-21 season, the scoring forward averaged more than 11.0 points per game for five straight seasons. Warren's best season occurred in 2019-20. That season, he averaged 19.8 points and knocked down 40.3 percent of his triples.
Now, at 30 years old with a long injury history, it's unlikely Warren will get another shot in the NBA. If Warren's game was predicated on spot-up shooting, there'd likely be a spot for the veteran forward. Unfortunately for Warren, he shot only 15.4 percent from three as a Timberwolf.
What first seemed like a good late-season signing has evolved into a mediocre pick-up. Warren doesn't provide enough scoring or defensive juice to hold down a roster spot. Warren will be 31-years-old before next season. The Timberwolves are more than likely to add a younger, 3-and-D wing in Warren's place.
3. Monte Morris
Adding Monte Morris at the trade deadline just felt right. Tim Connelly, the Timberwolves' president of basketball operations, drafted Morris in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Iowa State product began his career as a relative unknown before transforming into a borderline starter for the Nuggets.
In his second season in Denver, Morris appeared in all 82 games and averaged 10.2 points per game. Over the next three seasons, Morris played an integral role for the Nuggets. He starred as a sixth man and replacement for an injured Jamal Murray. He was then traded to the Washington Wizards where he impressed as a mistake-averse, steadying floor general.
Morris spent much of this past season injured. He began the year with the Detroit Pistons. However, it took a few months for the 28-year-old guard to finally debut for his new squad. After only six games as a Piston, the Wolves dealt Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr., and a future second-round pick for Morris.
After coming over via trade, hopes were high for Morris. The Timberwolves' worst-kept secret was their lack of success sans Mike Conley. Prior to the trade deadline, Minnesota was 2-3 without their point guard, including losses to the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs. Adding Morris theoretically solidified the reserve guard unit while bringing in a Conley injury replacement.
In 27 regular season appearances, Morris's game never really stood. He averaged just 5.1 points and 2.3 assists per game. The 6-foot-2 guard shot just 41.7 percent from the floor and 42.4 percent from downtown. Whether it be for injuries or a lack of opportunity, Morris never reverted to the player he once was.
The postseason decline was even more evident. Morris averaged only 2.3 points in 7.4 minutes per game in nine playoff appearances. He shot an atrocious 7.1 percent on 1.6 triples per game. The decline was certainly bizarre. Morris is just 28-years-old and his game isn't predicated on elite athleticism.
There's hope the veteran point guard reverts to his old form. Nevertheless, it likely won't be in Minnesota. Morris is playing out the last season of a three-year, $27 million pact he signed in 2021. Navigating the salary cap will be difficult for Connelly and Co. While the Wolves have Bird Rights on Morris, another team may fork over a larger sum to acquire his services.
2. Kyle Anderson
Once a fan-favorite, Kyle Anderson has seemingly turned expendable overnight. In his first season in Minnesota, Anderson provided a spark off the bench as well as quality starter minutes replacing the injured Karl-Anthony Towns.
In 69 appearances and 46 starts, Anderson put up 9.4 points per game. The UCLA product displayed a well-versed offense game. He added a career-high 4.9 dimes per contest and knocked down 41.0 percent of his triples.
Anderson was also impressive on the defensive end. He averaged 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. The Wolves were 3.5 points per 100 possessions better with Anderson on the court a season ago. The 6-foot-9 forward didn't fare nearly as well this past season.
Anderson's averages decreased across the board. He suddenly lost his outside touch and declined as a defender. In turn, Minnesota was 1.9 points per 100 possessions worse with Anderson on the floor. After playing 22.8 minutes per game in the regular season, his minutes were reduced to 14.2 in the postseason.
In Minnesota's first two series, Anderson's spot in the rotation appeared to be on thin ice. He averaged just 10.0 minutes per game against the Phoenix Suns before playing 12.6 minutes per contest in the Western Conference Semifinals.
However, the veteran forward did revive some of his value in the Conference Finals. In 22.4 minutes per game against the Dallas Mavericks, Anderson averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 boards, and 3.4 assists. The 30-year-old wing ranked third amongst Wolves in net rating. He played an integral part off the bench for Minnesota.
Although Anderson played well in the Western Conference Finals, his full body of work left much to be desired. He's a valued veteran presence, but it's unlikely the Timberwolves will re-up Anderson's contract—his lack of shooting cramped the offense's spacing and his defense didn't make all to much of a difference.
1. Karl-Anthony Towns
Yes, he's a four-time All-Star and one of the best big-man shooters to have ever lived. But, Karl-Anthony Towns is raking in an egregious amount of money. The Timberwolves power forward is slated to make nearly $50 million next season. And in 2027-28, he'll rack up $61 million.
Next year, the quintet of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Towns will combine to earn roughly $165 million. A fair warning, the NBA's salary cap for 2024-25 is projected to be $141 million.
Include Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in with the quintet mentioned above and the Wolves are above the first salary cap apron. Several ramifications for first-apron teams exist. Such as, teams can’t acquire players in sign-and-trade deals in the offseason if the incoming salary keeps them above the apron.
The Minnesota ownership has some difficult decisions looming. Whether it be Glen Taylor or the potential ownership group of Marc Lorre and Alex Rodriguez, some salary cap wizardry will be in the works.
After acknowledging Towns' huge salary, he may very well be the trade fodder. The 28-year-old big played another excellent season of basketball—averaging 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 triples per game. The Wolves' offense was better with Towns on the court, but his defense told a different tale.
Towns has vastly improved on the defensive end, even profiling as a defensive stopper against MVP Nikola Jokic in the Western Conference Semifinals. Throughout the regular season, Towns' defense was come and go. He barely held his opposition to a negative field goal differential. And the Wolves' opponents shot a better effective field goal percentage with Towns on the hardwood.
Trading Towns is a two-way street. The Timberwolves' defense is already elite, thus shipping the big man out of Minneapolis won't hurt the squad's defense. On the other hand, his proficient offense is necessary as he's Edwards' 1B option on offense. Nevertheless, Towns scoring by his lonesome has never coincided with a successful team record.
Dealing Towns' frontcourt mate, Gobert, may be a better bet. Yet where Gobert differs is his direct correlation with top-notch defense and team success. His offense isn't in the same stratosphere as Towns, but the four-time Defensive Player of the Year is in a world of his own on the defensive end of the court.
Finally, Towns' playoff performance may have left a sour taste in the fanbase and the Wolves' brass mouths. In the Western Conference Finals, Towns averaged 19.6 points, but he shot an abysmal 37.9 percent from the floor and 24.2 percent from downtown.
Is Reid an adequate replacement? Yes, but he's certainly not on the same level as Towns. However, Towns' contract is forcing difficult decisions to be made, and slotting in Reid will allow for continued cohesion.