All Things 2025-2026 Minnesota Timberwolves Offseason Thread

[tikited]

Remember, the wolves have moved up in the lottery one time in their entire existence.

The Spurs have done it the past 3 seasons. LOL

Yep. Salt in the wound.

 

[jamiche]

He got Gobert and Jaden to play defense.

He must not know how to do the same with Ant.

It's so weird.

As the data shows, of the top 20 players in the league only three are statistically fully two way players: Wemby, Chet and SGA. All three are surrounded by far better players than Ant, especially on offense.

Stop whining that Finch doesn't get Ant to be everywhere all the time all at once. He carries far more of the load on offense than the other three guys.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Latest mock from The Athletic

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (via DET)​

Ebuka Okorie | 6-1 guard | 19 years old | Stanford​

This is another player with a wide range, as I’ve heard anywhere from right after the lottery to late first round. I don’t think Okorie will fall out of the first round, though, and this would be a home-run match for him.



The Timberwolves are thought to be exploring potential point guard options in the late first round, and Okorie’s ability to get to the rim would be a different skill set than the one they chose with Rob Dillingham a couple of years ago in the lottery. It’s hard for me to see Okorie falling past this point.

OVERALL19 GUARD8
Ebuka OkorieStanford
An elite rim-pressure guard who lives in the paint; must work on passing and defense.
Read full profile ›

 

[The Deliberate Stranger]

Probably been other times

The Bulls going from 14th to first to get Derrick Rose was pretty sus too!

 

[The Deliberate Stranger]

Latest mock from The Athletic

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (via DET)​

Ebuka Okorie | 6-1 guard | 19 years old | Stanford​

This is another player with a wide range, as I’ve heard anywhere from right after the lottery to late first round. I don’t think Okorie will fall out of the first round, though, and this would be a home-run match for him.



The Timberwolves are thought to be exploring potential point guard options in the late first round, and Okorie’s ability to get to the rim would be a different skill set than the one they chose with Rob Dillingham a couple of years ago in the lottery. It’s hard for me to see Okorie falling past this point.

OVERALL19 GUARD8
Ebuka OkorieStanford
An elite rim-pressure guard who lives in the paint; must work on passing and defense.
Read full profile ›

He torched the gophers in that palm springs tournament

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

The Bulls going from 14th to first to get Derrick Rose was pretty sus too!

Lbj in Cleveland
Rose in chicago

 

[The Deliberate Stranger]

Lbj in Cleveland
Rose in chicago

At least the 02-03 Cavs were truly good awful, 07-08 bulls would have been a play in team by today's standards at 10th.

 

[Slim Tubby]

Lbj in Cleveland
Rose in chicago

Ewing, Rose, Lebron...I'm sensing a "hometown discount" when it comes to the NBA Lottery.

 

[Slim Tubby]

This story and Scalbrine quote always makes me chuckle:

In 2013, NBA player Brian Scalabrine, who averaged just 3 points per game over his career, responded to critics by challenging four volunteers who claimed they could beat him 1-on-1. In a public matchup, he dominated all four games, finishing with a combined score of 44–6.

The event became known as the “Scallenge” and is still remembered as one of the clearest examples of the massive gap between professional athletes and even highly skilled amateur players. By 2013, Brian Scalabrine had already retired from the NBA and was often the subject of jokes due to his limited playing time, with many pointing to his 3.1 points-per-game average as proof he wasn’t far above elite recreational players.

Scalabrine decided to challenge that perception directly. After hearing local players claim they could beat him one-on-one, he organized games against several strong amateur volunteers. The results were decisive—he won every matchup, finishing with a combined score of 44–6, showing that even post-retirement he was operating at a completely different level of speed, strength, skill, and basketball IQ.

The event produced one of the most famous quotes in sports, which remains unchanged:

“I’m closer to LeBron than you are to me.”

The line wasn’t arrogance, but a reality check about the skill gap between NBA players and everyone else. The Scallenge has since become a go-to reference whenever fans underestimate professional-level ability. Scalabrine’s career also included 11 NBA seasons and an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, along with over 500 games played—an achievement reached by only a tiny fraction of players worldwide.