All Things 2025-2026 Minnesota Timberwolves Offseason Thread

Donate To GopherHole
upnorthkid said:
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
Click to expand...
I was thinking of body blows and teach the youngster some humility.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I would put him firmly behind Giannis and Adebayo but I agree that MIA is probably a place he's considering strongly.
Click to expand...

Bam is really good but he’s not a ball dominant player like the guards LeBron would have to deal with in Cleveland and Philly. Those situations are more comparable to LA than Miami
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
I was thinking of body blows and teach the youngster some humility.
Click to expand...
Maybe younger LeBron. Just haven’t seen that level of engagement/arrogance like you’d expect from some of the old guys. Add to it that Wemby gets an aggressively friendly whistle and I don’t really see it
 





Isiah Evans can't play in Summer League until the Randle trade is finalized. That's dumb, but not as dumb as the idiotic new free throws rule they're using.
 

LeBron’s swan song appears to be shaping up like MJ’s last years-more akin to a whimper than a hurrah. I also think when we get out a few years from now, his desire/finagling to stay in the Eastern Conference (save for his one foray into the West, which excepting the COVID year was underwhelming) will impact the greatest ever conversation ( it will for me at least)
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Isiah Evans can't play in Summer League until the Randle trade is finalized. That's dumb, but not as dumb as the idiotic new free throws rule they're using.
Click to expand...
The NBA is the dumbest league there is.

The flopping just sucks

On draft night, the team they announce picking a player is not the team actually picking

And guys like Evans not being allowed to play

All easy fixes, but apparently not possible for the multi-billionaire industry
 




kg21 said:
The NBA is the dumbest league there is.

The flopping just sucks

On draft night, the team they announce picking a player is not the team actually picking

And guys like Evans not being allowed to play

All easy fixes, but apparently not possible for the multi-billionaire industry
Click to expand...
To be fair, I'm pretty sure the NFL does that too. I seem to recall Eli Manning holding up a Chargers jersey even though he made it clear he wasn't going to play for them.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
To be fair, I'm pretty sure the NFL does that too. I seem to recall Eli Manning holding up a Chargers jersey even though he made it clear he wasn't going to play for them.
Click to expand...
It's every third pick in the second round of the NBA
 

coolhandgopher said:
LeBron’s swan song appears to be shaping up like MJ’s last years-more akin to a whimper than a hurrah. I also think when we get out a few years from now, his desire/finagling to stay in the Eastern Conference (save for his one foray into the West, which excepting the COVID year was underwhelming) will impact the greatest ever conversation ( it will for me at least)
Click to expand...
Is it really a conversation?

Key Statistical Comparison
  • Championships: Michael Jordan (6), LeBron James (4)
  • Finals MVPs: Michael Jordan (6), LeBron James (4)
  • Regular Season MVPs: Michael Jordan (5), LeBron James (4)
  • Scoring Titles: Michael Jordan (10), LeBron James (1)
  • Championship Pedigree: Jordan went a perfect 6-0 in the NBA Finals and won Finals MVP in all six series.
  • Never needed a game 7 to win a championship.
  • Scoring Prowess: He won 10 NBA scoring titles and holds the highest regular-season scoring average in history at 30.12 points per game.
  • Two-Way Play: Jordan won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988 and was named to the All-Defensive First Team nine times. [1, 2, 3, 4]
 






Gopher_In_NYC said:
Is it really a conversation?

Key Statistical Comparison
  • Championships: Michael Jordan (6), LeBron James (4)
  • Finals MVPs: Michael Jordan (6), LeBron James (4)
  • Regular Season MVPs: Michael Jordan (5), LeBron James (4)
  • Scoring Titles: Michael Jordan (10), LeBron James (1)
  • Championship Pedigree: Jordan went a perfect 6-0 in the NBA Finals and won Finals MVP in all six series.
  • Never needed a game 7 to win a championship.
  • Scoring Prowess: He won 10 NBA scoring titles and holds the highest regular-season scoring average in history at 30.12 points per game.
  • Two-Way Play: Jordan won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988 and was named to the All-Defensive First Team nine times. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Click to expand...
Kareem weighs in

youtube.com

Longevity vs Dominance: Why Michael Jordan Will ALWAYS Be Greater Than LeBron#nba #jordan #james

LeBron fans look away now... this is the most brutal GOAT take you will ever hear"Falling on the floor in green enemy territory begging for calls... that's w...
youtube.com youtube.com
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
Im on the bandwagon. I dont this is on the level of vikings training camp propaganda
Click to expand...
With Rudy getting older, the timing couldn't be any better to have Beringer blossom and break out as a Top 10 Center in the league over the next couple of seasons as Gobert's contract comes to an end.

I haven't seen anything up to this point that indicates he'll be any better than Derrick Lively and players of that ilk, but he's still only 19. The upcoming season will tell us a lot if Finch uses him more for competitive minutes...and he might not have a choice with Naz off the roster.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Is it really a conversation?

Key Statistical Comparison
  • Championships: Michael Jordan (6), LeBron James (4)
  • Finals MVPs: Michael Jordan (6), LeBron James (4)
  • Regular Season MVPs: Michael Jordan (5), LeBron James (4)
  • Scoring Titles: Michael Jordan (10), LeBron James (1)
  • Championship Pedigree: Jordan went a perfect 6-0 in the NBA Finals and won Finals MVP in all six series.
  • Never needed a game 7 to win a championship.
  • Scoring Prowess: He won 10 NBA scoring titles and holds the highest regular-season scoring average in history at 30.12 points per game.
  • Two-Way Play: Jordan won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988 and was named to the All-Defensive First Team nine times. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Click to expand...
It’s a very interesting discussion given how different the league is (looking at salaries and caps at that time versus now and that there was no luxury tax penalties, etc) as well as the caliber of athlete, massive change in playing style (MJ was not a 3 point shooter, how would he fare in today’s league?).

LeBron has some all around stats that make the conversation interesting. 1st in points, 4th in assists, top 10 in steals, 13 time nba 1st team, 5 time 1st team defense, etc. more an argument of longevity.

Hopefully people appreciate LeBron more after he’s done. He is undeniably one of the best to ever play. If you value winning, Russell has 5 mvps and 11 titles. Kareem has 6 and 6. There are just a lot of ways to try make the arguments and it’s near impossible to compare eras.
 

Slim Tubby said:
With Rudy getting older, the timing couldn't be any better to have Beringer blossom and break out as a Top 10 Center in the league over the next couple of seasons as Gobert's contract comes to an end.

I haven't seen anything up to this point that indicates he'll be any better than Derrick Lively and players of that ilk, but he's still only 19. The upcoming season will tell us a lot if Finch uses him more for competitive minutes...and he might not have a choice with Naz off the roster.
Click to expand...
He has to be a contributor if they are going to do anything in the WC this year. Finch will play him because he has no choice.

Last year he looked like a force in the summer league. In the real league he looked like a newborn fawn because Finch didn't give him any meaningful minutes. Everybody's going ga-ga over what Joan did against Hunter Dickinson Thursday. (Dickinson already looks like a 38 year old guy who doesn't care anymore.) I remain skeptical until I see him do anything against an actual NBA player.
 
Last edited:

jamiche said:
He has to be a contributor if they are going to do anything in the WC this year. Finch will play him because he has no choice.

Last year he looked like a force in the summer league. In the real league he looked like a newborn fawn because Finch didn't give him any meaningful minutes. Everybody's going ga-ga over what Joan did against Hunter Dickinson Thursday. (Dickinson already looks like a 38 year old guy who doesn't care anymore.) I remain skeptical until I see him do anything against an actual NBA player.
Click to expand...
10-12 minutes = perfect. Anything more....I worry.
 

jamiche said:
He has to be a contributor if they are going to do anything in the WC this year. Finch will play him because he has no choice.

Last year he looked like a force in the summer league. In the real league he looked like a newborn fawn because Finch didn't give him any meaningful minutes. Everybody's going ga-ga over what Joan did against Hunter Dickinson Thursday. (Dickinson already looks like a 38 year old guy who doesn't care anymore.) I remain skeptical until I see him do anything against an actual NBA player.
Click to expand...
Everyone likes what they saw because he made a few shots that weren't dunks, and he is bigger and stronger

Remember, Randle and Naz couldn't guard anyone. They weren't great rebounders either.
 
Last edited:



fan of Ray Williams said:
Think Rocco might be in street clothes, also.
Click to expand...
With the way he's played the first couple of SL games, I'm not sure he'd get any minutes at the YMCA.

He was never nimble, but after adding more weight this offseason, he moves up and down the court like an oversaturated sponge.
 


Regardless of what happens, it’s an A for effort.

www.nytimes.com

Timberwolves make public pitch to LeBron James: ‘Hard not to be excited about what we have’

President Tim Connelly spoke openly on Tuesday about why LeBron James should join the Timberwolves.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Timberwolves make public pitch to LeBron James: ‘Hard not to be excited about what we have’​

Timberwolves president Tim Connelly speaks at a podium.

Though Tuesday was the day the Timberwolves introduced LaMelo Ball, the conversation with executive Tim Connelly turned to another key free agent. Bruce Kluckhohn / Imagn Images.
Jon Krawczynski
By Jon Krawczynski
July 14, 2026 3:42 pm EDT

MINNEAPOLIS — Seated on the dais at an introductory news conference for LaMelo Ball, Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly was asked about the Wolves’ recruitment of free agent LeBron James. Connelly nodded his head toward Ball, his new 6-foot-7 point guard, as one of the reasons James should consider continuing his career in Minnesota.

“I like who we are and we’re pretty proud of who we are,” Connelly said on Tuesday. “Hopefully that’s appealing, not just to LeBron, but to any free agent.”
The Wolves have been one of several teams aggressively pursuing James, trying to convince the best player of this generation — and perhaps the greatest of all time — to sign with a young team that has been knocking on the door in the Western Conference for the last three years. Cleveland, Golden State, Philadelphia and Miami are among the other teams competing for his services. The Wolves believe they can offer James the best chance to win a fifth championship.

The Wolves have been in regular contact with Rich Paul, James’s agent and close friend, to try to sell them on the idea of teaming up with Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert to make a run at the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the West.
“The recruitment is just this team,” Connelly said. “Obviously, he’s an unbelievable player. Whatever decision he makes is going to be the right one. There’s a lot going on. When you’re as great as he is, you should have optionality. When you look at our team, it’s hard not to be excited about what we have.”


The Wolves have been the playoffs for five straight seasons, the third-longest active streak in the league. They went to back-to-back conference finals in 2024 and 2025, then took a step back this season when an injury-plagued group lost a six-game second-round series to the Spurs. When the season was over, Connelly traded Julius Randle to Brooklyn and sent Naz Reid to Charlotte for Ball to give Edwards some much-needed backcourt help.
The Wolves think they have the best basketball fit for James, with Ball and Edwards there to help him on the offensive end, and Gobert and McDaniels to take the pressure off him on defense. They are not alone.


“We have the best coach. We have amazing fans,” Connelly said. “In the last couple years, our success has been as good as anybody — outside of the guys who’ve won it all. Not just speaking to LeBron, but to any free agent, this is a place you’re going to have a lot of fun and win a lot of games.”

That the Wolves are even in the running is notable for a team that has long had difficulty attracting free agents. The harsh Minnesota winters, coupled with a history of losing, had worked against the organization for a long time. But with Edwards leading the way on the court, and Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez bringing a new energy on the ownership side, the Wolves can no longer be overlooked.

“We’re trying to change the narrative of how this organization is viewed,” Connelly said. “We’re kind of proud of who we are, and certainly, wherever LeBron ends up, he’s going to make that place much, much better. But it’s hard not to look at LaMelo and Jaden and Rudy and Ant and Josh (Green). We saw what (Terrence Shannon Jr.) did in the postseason.”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7440947/2026/07/13/lebron-james-timberwolves-team-options-fit/
Connelly also mentioned second-year center Joan Beringer, who was impressive in his first Summer League game last week, and Ayo Dosunmu, who signed a five-year, $112 million contract to remain in Minnesota, as more reasons for James to consider the Wolves.

Perhaps most of all, the Wolves have a hole at power forward after trading Randle and Reid. They signed veteran Trey Lyles from Europe, and also can put Jaylen Clark or Shannon at the 4 against smaller lineups. But adding a player like James, who even at 41 years old still packs a playmaking and scoring punch, could be the final piece that vaults them into championship contention.

The Wolves believe that means they have the best of both worlds. Not only do they need James, but they also have the young personnel to surround him and take some of the burden off him in the regular season.


It remains unclear when James will make his decision. Privately, the Wolves know that it’s a long shot to land him. But they also believe James and Paul are giving them full consideration.

So they sit and wait, trusting that they have a good argument for why the best thing for one of the all-time greats is to come to Minnesota. That is quite a statement in and of itself.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom