There's a ton of excitement around the Minnesota Timberwolves' upcoming season, and rightfully so, considering how much they transformed their roster. While the Wolves still have plenty of detractors, I'm of the belief that this is a championship-caliber roster if everything falls into place. And frankly, it might be their best chance to bring home the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
That's not to say the Wolves' window will be shut if they don't win it this year. Saying such a thing would be silly, considering they have an impressive 26-and-under core with a dynamic long-term backcourt in Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. As a result, the Wolves are set up to be a long-term contender.
However, to win a championship, you need a lot to go your way, and in the apron era, you might only have one to two years with the perfect roster. And the stars might just be aligning for the Wolves this season.
Kuminga gives Minnesota an ideal starting five, but he could be a one-year rental
Perhaps the biggest reason I say this might be their best chance to win it all is because of Jonathan Kuminga. Specifically, the fact that there's a strong chance he leaves in free agency after this season.
Landing a starting power forward for $6 million was a complete blessing for the Wolves. Frankly, it's unlikely they'll be able to replicate this in the future if Kuminga leaves in free agency. As such, if he leaves, the Wolves will have a major hole at the power forward position, one that could prevent them from winning at the highest level.
Maybe he proves to be such a perfect fit that the Timberwolves trade Rudy Gobert to keep him around. In this scenario, Joan Beringer would assume the starting five role. But who would their backup be? And even if Beringer has a breakout season, would he really be better than Gobert?
The point is that the Wolves may never have a more talented starting five than Ball, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Kuminga, and Gobert. Now, there are some valid concerns about Kuminga's fit and ability to embrace a complementary role. Regardless, if everything goes smoothly, this will be a tough team to play. Yet, it will be hard for the Wolves to replicate this level of talent.
The Spurs and Thunder aren't going anywhere
Another major factor that goes into my stance is that the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs aren't going anywhere. Victor Wembanyama is just 22 years old. Stephon Castle is 21 years old. Dylan Harper is 20 years old. This team already made the finals, and they aren't going away. Still, as of now, they're young, and the New York Knicks proved that this inexperience is an issue.
While the second apron will come for them eventually, they have a slew of draft picks, and Wemby took a pay cut this summer. The point being, Minnesota might never be closer to San Antonio than they are this year, and they should take advantage of this.
The second apron came for OKC this offseason. The 2025 champs lost three rotation players: Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe. Candidly, their depth is still better than the Wolves' depth. Nevertheless, it got worse than last year. And when young players like Bennett Stirtz, Aday Mara, Thomas Sorber, and Nikola Topic grow, the Thunder will suddenly have the same level of ungodly depth they did in the past two seasons. That might not happen this season, but it could create real problems for the Wolves down the road.
Plus, they have some cracks in the armour, including a lack of true wings and Chet Holmgren's erratic offensive game. Best believe that Chet will grow, or the Thunder (who have a ton of draft assets) will fix this problem.
For as great as both the Thunder and Spurs are right now, the reality is that there are cracks in the armour for Minnesota to expose. But that might not be the case after this season. Plus, what if other fringe contenders like the Houston Rockets improve their roster next offseason? The competition might only get stiffer.
Finances will get tricky for the Timberwolves fairly soon
Finally, I want to point out that the Wolves' upcoming extensions could put them in a bind. Edwards will be eligible for a supermax extension worth $300 million over four years next summer. McDaniels is eligible for a contract extension worth more than $40 million starting in October. LaMelo will also soon need a new deal worth upwards of $40 million.
To be clear, these issues won't truly happen until the 2029 offseason. That might seem far away, but in reality it's not. In the second apron era, the Wolves won't be able to keep all three of these players and maintain adequate depth. Unless one of this trio takes a pay cut, this gives the Wolves a three-to-four-year window with this trio and a good supporting cast. For the reasons outlined earlier, this year could be their best chance to win it all.
Could the Timberwolves win it all in a future year? Absolutely, I will never count out a team led by Anthony Edwards, and Tim Connelly can always re-shuffle the deck if needed. In terms of their absolute best chance to win a title, though, this might be the year for Minnesota, which carries both some excitement and urgency.
Add us as a preferred source on Google