All Things 2025-2026 Minnesota Timberwolves Offseason Thread

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Mo Gueye is being traded to the Wolves. but he will be released by the Wolves and will be a UFA
 

gophersfan said:
Mo Gueye is being traded to the Wolves. but he will be released by the Wolves and will be a UFA
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We went from Mo Gueye to Mo Money.

Something potentially larger on the burner after the Randle salary dump. Morant and Kyrie are now off the table but Murray and Holiday among a few other PGs would fit into that TPE.

That trade return for KAT is currently down to DDV, who will miss next season, and a young C that Finch refuses to play.
 

Slim Tubby said:
After looking at all of the realistic options and our complete dearth of tradable assets, I'm convinced there is no move the Wolves can make this offseason that will bridge the gap between us and OKC/SAS.
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To clarify I wasn’t referring to them.

I was talking about the rest of the west; our only chance is we add a decent PG with the Randle trade exemption, Funch gets canned after next season, and either Wemby or SGA has an injury before we play them🤷‍♂️
 
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We've got trade grades!!

Nets-Wolves trade grades: Julius Randle deal shakes up Minnesota’s core​


Minnesota Timberwolves acquire 33rd pick, Mo Gueye​

This is a necessary evil of the apron era, with teams terrified of going into the first- and second-apron payroll thresholds to retain their rosters.

Gueye is on a non-guaranteed deal and will probably be waived once the trade goes through, so this is all about the numbers crunch the Wolves found themselves in, with Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid making a combined $134.8 million next season. Randle, who turns 32 in November, makes $33.3 million next season and would push them well past the projected salary cap ($165 million) and much closer to the projected aprons ($209 million for first, $222 million for second). That doesn’t even include filling out the depth chart and someone like Donte DiVincenzo ($12.5 million) being on the roster but likely missing the season with his Achilles tear.

The Wolves want to find minutes for their young depth. They have Naz Reid to play more minutes at power forward while stretching the floor, and they need to re-sign Dosunmu, their major acquisition at the trade deadline. All of this pointed toward a salary dump to move off Randle’s deal ($35.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season, too) and put themselves in a better financial position to maintain the heart of their roster. With Randle’s poor performance in the playoffs, this decision became a lot easier. It cost the Wolves the 28th pick in a deep draft, but being able to still pick at No. 33 should land them a player of similar quality. They just have to make sure this Dosunmu contract doesn’t make them do this again — more salary dumps — a year or two from now.

Grade: C+
www.nytimes.com

Nets-Wolves trade grades: Julius Randle deal shakes up Minnesota’s core

One day before the draft, a Western Conference hopeful agreed to move on from a key starter.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

Jon K: What the Julius Randle trade means for Jaden McDaniels and the Wolves’ young core

The move had two big impacts on the Wolves roster. It is a giant vote of confidence in Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, both of whom will assume much larger roles next season. It also freed up the cap room to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu to a five-year, $112 million contract, open up the full mid-level exception to aid the pursuit of more talent and positioned the Timberwolves to avoid the luxury tax next season if they stand pat.

It is a risky decision as Edwards prepares to enter his prime. The Timberwolves made back-to-back Western Conference finals appearances in 2024 and 2025, but took a step back in competitiveness this season when the San Antonio Spurs eliminated them in the second round. And they just salary dumped a player that was a major piece of the blockbuster trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota to New York in 2024.

If the Wolves largely stand pat, this bet on the existing roster has to pay off. McDaniels and Reid have gotten better every summer. Beringer is already showing promise with rim-rattling dunks in scrimmages. This young core, which now includes Dosunmu, has to fit together better around Edwards than last season’s version did. Edwards, McDaniels and Reid have been through the fires together dating back to 2020. Now the opportunity is there for them to take the next step.

Or this could be just the first move in a multi-step roster restructuring. The Wolves are currently $31 million below the first apron, with a roster full of good-value contracts. They have more flexibility than they have had in years, and Connelly could go out looking for another significant piece to bring a more dramatic change to the team. The Wolves are not pursuing Memphis point guard Ja Morant, according to team sources, but will continue to canvas the league for other possibilities.

www.nytimes.com

What the Julius Randle trade means for Jaden McDaniels and the Wolves’ young core

Having to drop back in the draft to trade someone of Randle's caliber stings. It also opens up opportunities for younger players.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Howl Wolves!!
 


2026 NBA offseason trade grades: Julius Randle, Nic Claxton​


June 21: Wolves, Bulls, Nets complete three-way deal​

Minnesota Timberwolves get: No. 33 pick (via Nets), Mouhamadou Gueye
Chicago Bulls get: Nic Claxton
Brooklyn Nets get: Julius Randle, No. 28 pick (via Timberwolves)

Grade for Minnesota: B

What this means for the Timberwolves: Two years after they acquired Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns, Towns is an NBA champion while DiVincenzo is out with a torn Achilles and Randle is the subject of a salary dump. If it needed any further clarification, Minnesota definitely lost that blockbuster trade.

But focusing on how the Timberwolves landed Randle two years ago is a matter of the sunk cost fallacy, so let's focus on the present. Minnesota's side of this three-team trade is almost entirely motivated by finances. Randle is owed $33.3 million in 2026-27 and $35.8 million on a player option in 2027-28, as part of an extension he signed last summer.

By trading Randle in a deal involving the two teams with the most cap space in the league, the Timberwolves were able to shed that hefty salary without taking any guaranteed money back in return. They also had to drop just five spots in the draft to do so, even if the difference in "they traded a first-round pick for a second-round pick" overstates that gap.

The Timberwolves' new financial situation places them $42 million below the luxury tax line and $50 million below the first apron. It also gives them access to multiple exceptions they can use to sign players this offseason, as well as a $33.3 million trade exception they could use for a highly paid veteran who fits their roster better.

Step one with all of that extra space was re-signing Ayo Dosunmu, an unrestricted free agent after a positive post-deadline stint with the Timberwolves. Further upgrades are sure to come thereafter, because without Randle or the injured DiVincenzo, the Timberwolves' roster is still very incomplete.

Replacing Randle shouldn't be an insurmountable challenge. His departure opens up a starting slot for sixth man extraordinaire Naz Reid, with whom Rudy Gobert has a proven partnership -- the duo has a plus-9.1 net rating in more than 2,700 minutes together over the past three regular seasons, per databallr.

And while Randle averaged 20 points and 4.9 assists per game over two seasons in Minnesota, his notorious playoff struggles limited his team's upside. For the Timberwolves to make a run at their first Finals berth -- and to get past the Thunder and Spurs in the process -- they couldn't rely on Randle as their No. 2 option behind Anthony Edwards.

But the real problem is what happens once Reid moves to the starting lineup, because the Timberwolves were already relying on a tight playoff rotation, with little depth beyond their top seven or eight players. They'd better make good use of their extra money to round out a more supportive roster, because they're now down two good players from last year's group without adding any suitable replacements -- yet.

www.espn.com

2026 NBA offseason trade grades: LaMelo Ball, Isaiah Stewart deals

We're grading the biggest NBA trades of the offseason, including the blockbuster deal that sent LaMelo Ball from Charlotte to Minnesota.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:

2026 NBA offseason trade grades: Julius Randle, Nic Claxton​


June 21: Wolves, Bulls, Nets complete three-way deal​

Minnesota Timberwolves get: No. 33 pick (via Nets), Mouhamadou Gueye
Chicago Bulls get: Nic Claxton
Brooklyn Nets get: Julius Randle, No. 28 pick (via Timberwolves)

Grade for Minnesota: B

What this means for the Timberwolves: Two years after they acquired Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns, Towns is an NBA champion while DiVincenzo is out with a torn Achilles and Randle is the subject of a salary dump. If it needed any further clarification, Minnesota definitely lost that blockbuster trade.

But focusing on how the Timberwolves landed Randle two years ago is a matter of the sunk cost fallacy, so let's focus on the present. Minnesota's side of this three-team trade is almost entirely motivated by finances. Randle is owed $33.3 million in 2026-27 and $35.8 million on a player option in 2027-28, as part of an extension he signed last summer.

By trading Randle in a deal involving the two teams with the most cap space in the league, the Timberwolves were able to shed that hefty salary without taking any guaranteed money back in return. They also had to drop just five spots in the draft to do so, even if the difference in "they traded a first-round pick for a second-round pick" overstates that gap.

The Timberwolves' new financial situation places them $42 million below the luxury tax line and $50 million below the first apron. It also gives them access to multiple exceptions they can use to sign players this offseason, as well as a $33.3 million trade exception they could use for a highly paid veteran who fits their roster better.

Step one with all of that extra space was re-signing Ayo Dosunmu, an unrestricted free agent after a positive post-deadline stint with the Timberwolves. Further upgrades are sure to come thereafter, because without Randle or the injured DiVincenzo, the Timberwolves' roster is still very incomplete.

Replacing Randle shouldn't be an insurmountable challenge. His departure opens up a starting slot for sixth man extraordinaire Naz Reid, with whom Rudy Gobert has a proven partnership -- the duo has a plus-9.1 net rating in more than 2,700 minutes together over the past three regular seasons, per databallr.

And while Randle averaged 20 points and 4.9 assists per game over two seasons in Minnesota, his notorious playoff struggles limited his team's upside. For the Timberwolves to make a run at their first Finals berth -- and to get past the Thunder and Spurs in the process -- they couldn't rely on Randle as their No. 2 option behind Anthony Edwards.

But the real problem is what happens once Reid moves to the starting lineup, because the Timberwolves were already relying on a tight playoff rotation, with little depth beyond their top seven or eight players. They'd better make good use of their extra money to round out a more supportive roster, because they're now down two good players from last year's group without adding any suitable replacements -- yet.

www.espn.com

2026 NBA offseason trade grades: LaMelo Ball, Isaiah Stewart deals

We're grading the biggest NBA trades of the offseason, including the blockbuster deal that sent LaMelo Ball from Charlotte to Minnesota.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...
Once Funch’s (my new name for him), gets over his grieving process for the Randle trade, maybe he’ll understand, he needs to learn how to develop a bench.

I think this grade is accurate, compared to she Athletic’s C+.
 

Chip chimes in:

The lack of a true point guard created negative ripple effects, and players moped through too many disinterested performances.

It feels like Connelly still has something up his sleeves. Perhaps a Gobert trade or some other substantial addition that keeps the Wolves in the contender discussion.

He understands the urgency to maximize every season of Edwards’ career. A team that has a superstar can’t waste years.

Connelly arrived in 2022 and has spent his relatively brief tenure assembling and disassembling the spine of the roster. The results have mostly been excellent, but not championship material.

Now he has a new blueprint. Maybe this will be the one that sticks.


Howl Wolves!!
 

The latest mock draft and our second round picks, per The Athletic -

33. Minnesota Timberwolves (via BKN): Ryan Conwell | 6-2 guard | 22 years old | Louisville

59. Minnesota Timberwolves (via SAS): Dillon Mitchell | 6-7 wing | 22 years old | St. John’s

And our former Gopher is projected as a second rounder -

57. Atlanta Hawks (via BOS): Jaden Henley | 6-6 wing | 22 years old | Grand Canyon
 




My overall sense of the situation at Target Center is the last few moves by Connelly have been scrambling to fix past mistakes. There's no vision for the future.
 











Slim Tubby said:
LaMelo Ball rumored to the Wolves???
Click to expand...

www.nytimes.com

Hornets agree to trade LaMelo Ball to Timberwolves for Naz Reid, picks: Source

The deal is a significant shake-up for a Charlotte team that seemed to be on the upswing and a Minnesota squad with hopes of contention.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

​

Hornets agree to trade LaMelo Ball to Wolves for Naz Reid, picks: Source​

In a surprising move, the Charlotte Hornets have a deal in place to trade LaMelo Ball, the franchise’s star point guard. The Hornets are set to deal Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 first-round pick, three second-round picks and a series of first-round pick swaps, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.


The trade is a significant shake-up for a team that has been on the upswing. The Hornets finished 44-38 in the regular season, no small feat for a franchise that has had just one winning season over the last decade. They surged in the second half of the season to make the Eastern Conference’s Play-In Tournament, beating the Miami Heat in an overtime thriller thanks to Ball’s last-second layup. Charlotte was eliminated by the Orlando Magic three days later.

In addition to Reid and the unprotected 2033 first-rounder, the Hornets will receive the Wolves’ 2029, 2032 and 2033 second-round picks and first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030.
ESPN first reported the deal.
LaMelo Ball's last-second layup leads Hornets past Heat in thriller


The decision to trade Ball, especially now, comes as a surprise. Ball, 24, averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists in 2025-26, his fewest points per game since his rookie season, when he won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award. He made the All-Star team the next season. That helped him earn a rookie max extension, on which he has three years and approximately $130.7 million remaining.
The team has started to reframe itself around Brandon Miller, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft, and Kon Knueppel, the narrow runner-up for Rookie of the Year this past season who averaged 18.5 points per game while hitting a rookie record 273 3s.

With Ball gone, they’ll each get larger roles, as will Christian Anderson Jr., whom the Hornets took No. 18 in Tuesday’s draft. The deal is the most audacious transaction yet by a relatively new front office that has made several astute, if smaller, choices so far. General Manager Jeff Peterson was hired in the spring of 2024 and chose Charles Lee as the team’s head coach a few months later.

Now, they have made a deal large enough to reorient the franchise in a new direction under their guidance. Ball is gone, and the Hornets are moving on without a player long seen as the franchise’s pillar.
 



LaMello Ball is going to make Joan Beringer the Most improved player in the NBA.

If they click their skill sets could be a freakish compliment.

That sick athleticism and length, with the vision and ability to put it on a Dime near the basket.
 

Good analysis of the trade in this Athletic article. My favorite comment -

The Timberwolves certainly need to add power forwards, though. Jaden McDaniels is still listed at 185 pounds, for crying out loud, and he plays like it. Keep him on the perimeter. Size has always been important.

————-
He’s not turning into DennisRidman and becoming a rebounding machine; he’s a wing who strength is his perimeter D.


www.nytimes.com

How the Timberwolves-Hornets blockbuster will be remembered in two years

Our writers weigh in what the LaMelo Ball trade means for the Timberwolves and Hornets.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
Who we going to get at PF for some combo of green, ddv, and shannon?
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I wouldn't be shocked to see Rocco get some minutes at the 4. They've already said they are going to play Rocco and Joan together in the SL. Rocco is huge, he can hit some threes and he's got some skills. I could see him getting ten minutes a game at the four.
 

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