If there's one buzzword around the Minnesota Timberwolves' season, it's undoubtedly continuity. After back-to-back conference finals runs, the Wolves brought back a nearly identical roster. Yes, they lost Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who signed with the Atlanta Hawks. However, Minnesota brought back the rest of its top-seven rotation players and opted not to replace Alexander-Walker.
This is a clear contrast to last offseason, when the Wolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo just days before training camp. The Wolves are banking on their continuity and internal growth to make an NBA Finals jump.
The Wolves betting on their continuity is logical yet risky
Minnesota finished with a 17-4 record to close the season and only lost two games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Clearly, this core is capable of playing at an elite level. Given how they closed the season and got off to a slow start last year, integrating Randle and DiVincenzo, letting this core grow together makes sense. Plus, the Wolves need to see what they have with their young talent, including Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham, and Jaylen Clark.
Growing as a core sounds nice. However, it's worth noting that the last three champions all made sizable offseason moves. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Alex Caruso and signed Isaiah Hartenstein. The Boston Celtics traded for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis in the 2024 offseason. Before that, the Denver Nuggets traded for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and signed Bruce Brown, while Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returned to the court.
Sure, it's possible the Timberwolves buck this trend and win the championship without making a major offseason move. With a 24-year-old superstar in Anthony Edwards with a well-rounded core surrounding him, it's certainly possible. Nevertheless, recent history makes it clear that, typically, teams make offseason moves to make this championship leap.
Last year's Nuggets are an example of the challenges of banking on internal growth and continuity. While Christian Braun stepped up to fill the KCP void, the rest of the Nuggets' young talent struggled to find consistent roles.
On the positive side, the Indiana Pacers are an example of continuity paying off. After a conference finals run in 2024, they took it a step further with a finals appearance this past playoffs. The Timberwolves' big move was trading for Randle before last season. Likewise, the Pacers' big move was trading for Pascal Siakam in the middle of the 2023-24 season.
Ultimately, while continuity isn't the traditional thing many teams looking to make a championship leap lean on, it could work for the Wolves.