At the conclusion of last season, it was evident that the Minnesota Timberwolves needed some major roster changes this summer. Anthony Edwards needed a more reliable second option, and the whole roster needed more shooting and playmaking.
They were firmly in the mix for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they were mentioned among other names such as Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, and Kawhi Leonard. But once LaMelo Ball was made available, that immediately became the front office's number one focus, with a deal being completed within two days of Ball being reported as available for trade.
It's a good thing the Wolves were desperate to get a deal done because, during an appearance on The Third Apron Podcast with Yossi Gozlan, Dane Moore noted that if the Ball deal hadn't come to fruition, the Wolves likely would have stood pat to stay below the luxury tax.
"I don't know, man," Moore said. " I think they might have just ducked it (the tax). I think they might have just ducked it for the year. I think that was legitimately on the table. I mean, they paid the tax the last three seasons. I think... I think the Wolves went into this offseason with like the word reset on their mind and they and they reset in this LaMelo way, right? Like they reset what the roster was. I think if the LaMelo option didn't come to fruition, they will were willing and ready to reset the roster while getting underneath the tax."
Now that would have been a disaster.
Trading for LaMelo Ball saved the Wolves from plummeting into mediocrity
As frustrating as Julius Randle was last year, he still provided value to the Wolves, especially on offense, averaging 21.1 points per game. I understand the concept of addition by subtraction, but if the Wolves' only change this offseason was salary dumping Randle's 21.1 points for nearly nothing and not acquiring any other talent, that would have been a nightmare.
The Wolves would then go into the next season with Jaden McDaniels as their second scoring option. I love Jaden, but that isn't his game and shouldn't be his role. They barely finished above the Play-In with Randle, and with even less pure basketball talent on the roster, they surely would have been in it this year, especially with the improved Western Conference.
But as we know, that likely won't happen. The Wolves were able to pull off a trade for not only a star point guard but also one who perfectly fits the timeline of the current Wolves core. They not only got better, but they got younger, and that's usually a hard needle to thread. I fully expect this new-look Wolves team to be contending for a championship this season, and to be among the top of the Western Conference.
Choosing to pay the luxury tax was the right decision
I understand the appeal of the ownership not paying the luxury tax; everyone loves saving money. But when you run an NBA team and you have a generational talent at that time who is approaching his prime, you have to do everything in your power to put a championship-caliber team around him.
Players like Anthony Edwards are beyond rare, especially for a team like the Wolves, given their history. Making him happy is the number one priority, and you do that by winning games. This move sets them up to win both now and in the future, and paying the luxury tax will certainly be worth it.
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