All Things 2025-2026 Minnesota Timberwolves Offseason Thread

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Relating back to our 🐐 conversation, just learned that Jordan won 10 scoring titles in 15 years - amazing as he missed 3 of his prime years - curtesy of Kareem.
 


tikited said:
Looking like Cleveland after all.
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I really think we are. with Philly being second. Philly’s knocks are the Fans will turn on him, and Joel Embid is made of glass.

The basketball situation in Minnesota is the best. It offers a fine compelling story. The worst franchise in major sports winning. The little engine that could. It is significantly unexpected, part of LeBron’s Modus Operandi. And Ant has a beast of a personality, that Bron famously loves.

LeBron would help us a ton. He’s needed I. Multiple fronts that actually play to his current strengths, as opposed to a former version of himself.

Assume we do not win a title. LeBron would sell the brand. Drive Revenue. Drive worldwide interest. He’d make it a lot harder to move the team.

He could teach The young core what it takes to be a professional. LeBron is a serious use on the court. His playmaking, working with Ball would be phenomenal. His lacking defense goes from a burgeoning weakness to a strength, as he is not the centerpiece. He just needs to adjust and make plays. The pressure will be off.

And he no longer has to try to make the Doncic Reeves pair work. It’s a load off.

LeBron Ain’t no dummy. If he goes to Cleveland they are still not a contender, at least not a significant one. Harden is no longer 2018 player. Harden is not someone I see LeBron wanting to play with.

Same with Miami - no depth.

Cleveland biggest selling points are all in the past. Other than the assistant GM, who is a considered a best friend.
 

atsgopher said:
I really think we are. with Philly being second. Philly’s knocks are the Fans will turn on him, and Joel Embid is made of glass.

The basketball situation in Minnesota is the best. It offers a fine compelling story. The worst franchise in major sports winning. The little engine that could. It is significantly unexpected, part of LeBron’s Modus Operandi. And Ant has a beast of a personality, that Bron famously loves.

LeBron would help us a ton. He’s needed I. Multiple fronts that actually play to his current strengths, as opposed to a former version of himself.

Assume we do not win a title. LeBron would sell the brand. Drive Revenue. Drive worldwide interest. He’d make it a lot harder to move the team.

He could teach The young core what it takes to be a professional. LeBron is a serious use on the court. His playmaking, working with Ball would be phenomenal. His lacking defense goes from a burgeoning weakness to a strength, as he is not the centerpiece. He just needs to adjust and make plays. The pressure will be off.

And he no longer has to try to make the Doncic Reeves pair work. It’s a load off.

LeBron Ain’t no dummy. If he goes to Cleveland they are still not a contender, at least not a significant one. Harden is no longer 2018 player. Harden is not someone I see LeBron wanting to play with.

Same with Miami - no depth.

Cleveland biggest selling points are all in the past. Other than the assistant GM, who is a considered a best friend.
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Just going on what is being talked about. I have a feeling the documentary has a lot to do with it.
 


tikited said:
Just going on what is being talked about. I have a feeling the documentary has a lot to do with it.
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I agree on the doc. I also figured that’s the rumor mill stuff you were noting. Normally, I think the tea leaves would be correct. Just not with LeBron. I think he hasn’t honestly made up his mind.

He was hanging with his friends and the ecosystem jumped to conclusions. They all copied one another as AI and unintelligent press tends to do.

However, his agent noted LeBron has them breaking down basketball analytics, plays, and player tendencies, to see where he fits best on the court. Then he stopped communicating with Every team. I think he does not want to be sold.

I don’t think the current steam is indicative of anything. It also doesn’t rule out Cleveland.

That’s prior post is all just my take on Cavs don’t seem to be a great fit for him in my mind…..

Also, I will note I am totally a fucking Homer. Never been able to totally quash my local team biases.
 

atsgopher said:
I agree on the doc. I also figured that’s the rumor mill stuff you were noting. Normally, I think the tea leaves would be correct. Just not with LeBron. I think he hasn’t honestly made up his mind.

He was hanging with his friends and the ecosystem jumped to conclusions. They all copied one another as AI and unintelligent press tends to do.

However, his agent noted LeBron has them breaking down basketball analytics, plays, and player tendencies, to see where he fits best on the court. Then he stopped communicating with Every team. I think he does not want to be sold.

I don’t think the current steam is indicative of anything. It also doesn’t rule out Cleveland.

That’s prior post is all just my take on Cavs don’t seem to be a great fit for him in my mind…..

Also, I will note I am totally a fucking Homer. Never been able to totally quash my local team biases.
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I have no idea where he's going. I have a hard time seeing him wanting to play with Harden.
 

jamiche said:
I have no idea where he's going. I have a hard time seeing him wanting to play with Harden.
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I can see what your point is about him changing the dynamics. However, I don’t see that as a detrimental. I wouldn’t expect him to come in and make us a champions right away. That would be amazing.

I wouldn’t expect see him as someone that can serve to elevate Jaden, Ant and Ball. Ball and Jaden especially need to see the professionalism.

Certain lessons are absorbed easy from older players vs Coaches telling what to do.
 

atsgopher said:
I agree on the doc. I also figured that’s the rumor mill stuff you were noting. Normally, I think the tea leaves would be correct. Just not with LeBron. I think he hasn’t honestly made up his mind.

He was hanging with his friends and the ecosystem jumped to conclusions. They all copied one another as AI and unintelligent press tends to do.

However, his agent noted LeBron has them breaking down basketball analytics, plays, and player tendencies, to see where he fits best on the court. Then he stopped communicating with Every team. I think he does not want to be sold.

I don’t think the current steam is indicative
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atsgopher said:
of anything. It also doesn’t rule out Cleveland.

That’s prior post is all just my take on Cavs don’t seem to be a great fit for him in my mind…..

Also, I will note I am totally a fucking Homer. Never been able to totally quash my local team biases.
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Espn took the report down. Hopefully a total rumor and nothing more.
 



Time for a LeWolf update. Nugs are now involved From the article-

www.nytimes.com

LeBron James latest: What we know about his likely NBA free-agency options

A handful of teams seem to be in the mix for LeBron James' services. What are their current needs, and how would the 41-year-old fit?
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Minnesota Timberwolves​

The Timberwolves know they have the coldest winter on this list. They also believe they have the best basketball fit for James. That’s the message they have delivered to LeBron’s camp over the last week, saying that their young and very talented team still has a hole at power forward and a need for James’ superior basketball intellect, playmaking ability and battle-tested voice in the locker room.

They have Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and LaMelo Ball to take some of the offensive burden off James, while McDaniels and Rudy Gobert would ensure that he doesn’t have to exert as much energy on the defensive end. They have also told him that winning in Minnesota — helping to deliver the franchise’s first championship and the first title in any of the four major men’s sports since 1991 — would be an achievement that would surpass winning in any other place he is considering.

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No one in Minnesota is operating under such illusions. They know luring James to the Twin Cities for what could be the final chapter of his career is a long shot. But they have been very aggressive in their pitch to James’ camp. The simple fact that they are even in the conversation is a testament to how far this organization has come. It wasn’t that long ago that they were the laughing stock of the league, a franchise that players viewed as a last resort. Now, with Edwards leading the way on the court and Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez and Tim Connelly atop the basketball operations, the Wolves can say they are in the running to land, depending on where you stand, the greatest or second-greatest player in NBA history.

You can’t hang a banner for that. But the Wolves can take pride in the fact that the perception of this franchise has changed in a major way. — Jon Krawczynski, Wolves writer
 

“They know luring James to the Twin Cities for what could be the final chapter”

I don’t think this coming season will be his final season. (I know it says chapter and not season) My hot take is that James plays until Bryce gets in the league.
If LeBron does end up here, does that mean Bronny does also?
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
“They know luring James to the Twin Cities for what could be the final chapter”

I don’t think this coming season will be his final season. (I know it says chapter and not season) My hot take is that James plays until Bryce gets in the league.
If LeBron does end up here, does that mean Bronny does also?
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I think Bunny is on his own at this point.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
“They know luring James to the Twin Cities for what could be the final chapter”

I don’t think this coming season will be his final season. (I know it says chapter and not season) My hot take is that James plays until Bryce gets in the league.
If LeBron does end up here, does that mean Bronny does also?
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He may want to play till he’s 45; his longevity is a key to his goat status
 
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[Charania] LeBron James is taking the Sixers free agency pitch 'really seriously': "I look at it, when I talk to teams now, as kind of a hierarchy of Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia."
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
[Charania] LeBron James is taking the Sixers free agency pitch 'really seriously': "I look at it, when I talk to teams now, as kind of a hierarchy of Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia."
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Philly would be stacked with Lebron but it's kind of a weird fit. I get that we have Ant and Lamelo, but the rest of our better players are pretty low usage guys (or can be low usage and be effective). Philly has two guys with 35+ usage rates (really high), Maxey with an almost 30 usage rate and Edgecumbe who was over 20% as a rookie.

In Philly, Lebron is either going to turn into a 3&D PF or he is going to take the ball out of the hands of Brown, Embiid, and Maxey quite a bit.

It just feels kind of strange.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
[Charania] LeBron James is taking the Sixers free agency pitch 'really seriously': "I look at it, when I talk to teams now, as kind of a hierarchy of Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia."
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Everyone lives Maxey - great player who makes everyone better.

Him, Brown, Bron and A healthy Embed are as formidable as any team and he avoids the gauntlet in the west.
 




Five teams now remain in the LeBron James sweepstakes per @ShamsCharania

Cavaliers
Heat
Sixers
Timberwolves
Warriors

Ha! Seems like the list is expanding to me.
 


It seems to me that the only teams that have a clean fit is Philly and The Wolves. Golden State has Dreymond at the 4. He also does a lot of what LeBron does offensively. Denver has Gordon. Miami has their two starting bigs. Cleveland has Mobley. I just don't see LeBron playing the 3 or any of the guys mentioned coming off the bench.

That doesn't mean I think he is coming here...he ain't.
 

Paul claimed that James was going to respect JJ Redick's plan to do what was best for the team, including differing to Doncic and Reaves. The new and challenging situation likely played a role in LeBron looking to leave for a fresh start.

Also from the article.

The entire timeline changed from LeBron being the face of the franchise with Reaves stepping up to both men falling behind Doncic. It only makes sense that a 30 point per game scorer in his early prime years should be the face of the franchise.

Unfortunately, this pushed James into a new role as the third offense option for the first time in his career. Luka getting traded to the Lakers in 2025 was the first time LeBron even had one teammate more important than him. The Lakers had to prioritize Doncic, but it ended up costing them James.

He certainly wouldn’t be the first option here and I’m hoping he wouldn’t be the second option on many games.
What landing spot would he be a second option?
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
Paul claimed that James was going to respect JJ Redick's plan to do what was best for the team, including differing to Doncic and Reaves. The new and challenging situation likely played a role in LeBron looking to leave for a fresh start.

Also from the article.

The entire timeline changed from LeBron being the face of the franchise with Reaves stepping up to both men falling behind Doncic. It only makes sense that a 30 point per game scorer in his early prime years should be the face of the franchise.

Unfortunately, this pushed James into a new role as the third offense option for the first time in his career. Luka getting traded to the Lakers in 2025 was the first time LeBron even had one teammate more important than him. The Lakers had to prioritize Doncic, but it ended up costing them James.

He certainly wouldn’t be the first option here and I’m hoping he wouldn’t be the second option on many games.
What landing spot would he be a second option?
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LeBron is LeBron. He's not going to accept being the third option on any team. As this drags on, I also don't think he's going to accept a vet minimum (nor should he). I think it's going to take the MLE, which eliminates the wolves.
 






Gopher_In_NYC said:
It would be fun to see a healthy frontline of Giannis, Bam and LeBron against Wemby
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Problem is Wemby can shoot over both bam and bron. Add at this age bron isn’t going to commit to thumping with Wemby to displace him and I just don’t see him being much of an asset there anymore. His defensive stats have really been the part that’s fallen off massively (though some of that is playing with reaves and Doncic)

Giannis with offensive help to take the load off so he could play fully engaged defense with Wemby would be fun though
 

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