It was awesome to see nearly the entire Minnesota Timberwolves team together in France last week. The bond and camaraderie the team is showing weren’t always evident on the court last season, when they had their moments of moodiness.
Chris Finch described LaMelo Ball as having an “infectious quality,” and it shows in the way his new teammates, especially Anthony Edwards, have already gravitated toward him. Rudy Gobert is taking his leadership role seriously by bringing his teammates to his native country to show them around.
The Timberwolves have two open roster spots but are likely to fill only one in order to stay under the second apron. Adding another veteran leader shouldn’t be discouraged, but it may not be as necessary as it might have seemed a month ago.
A veteran player shouldn’t be ruled out, but one may not be needed
There are only two players on Minnesota’s roster whose ages begin with a three. That would be the 34-year-old Gobert and the 30-year-old Trey Lyles. The Wolves lost a bunch of players in their 30s this offseason, including Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, Joe Ingles, and Julius Randle.
That mass exodus of veteran players would seem to leave a void when it comes to having players whose voices others can lean on. Keep in mind that someone like Will Barton—an 11-year NBA veteran—is now a member of Chris Finch’s assistant coaching staff.
Also still a member of the Wolves' coaching staff is Pablo Prigioni. While he played just four seasons in the NBA, Prigioni also spent about a decade and a half playing professionally overseas.
So, that’s a lot of experience on the bench. While both Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are still young, they are both entering their seventh year with the club. Both have experienced two conference finals appearances and are hungry to take it a step further. Ant-Man already seems to be taking on more of a leadership role, especially with Ball, to help their new star point guard feel more at home so soon after being traded from the Charlotte Hornets.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won a title in 2025 with Alex Caruso as their oldest player at 31 years old. Kenrich Williams was the only other player at least 30. The San Antonio Spurs just made the NBA Finals with a very young team.
Signing a longtime veteran wouldn’t necessarily be the wrong decision. It might be best for the Wolves to sign someone at power forward, regardless of age, who can also soak up some minutes at center if either Gobert or Joan Beringer is unavailable.
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