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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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: Julius Randle, Nic Claxton

We're grading the biggest NBA trades of the offseason, including the three-team deal that saw Julius Randle land in Brooklyn.
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: Julius Randle, Nic Claxton

We're grading the biggest NBA trades of the offseason, including the three-team deal that saw Julius Randle land in Brooklyn.
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.
 









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