All that\u2019s happened as a result the past four years has been, undoubtedly, the best stretch of Timberwolves basketball in franchise history. Minnesota appeared in the Western Conference finals in 2024 and \u201925, and last season won 49 games and eliminated the Nuggets before running into Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t good enough. So, of course, Connelly did it again. He traded away franchise icon Naz Reid to Charlotte in exchange for LaMelo Ball<\/a>, a 25-year-old playmaking guard who will now spend his prime playing alongside Anthony Edwards. <\/p>\n NEXT: Over 1,000 Timberwolves Fans Got \u2018Naz Reid\u2019 Tattoos for $20. He Got Traded. Now What?<\/a><\/p>\n One anonymous NBA scout, however, is not completely sold on Ball\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know how much LaMelo Ball moves the needle,\u201d the scout told Sports Illustrated. \u201cI don’t know that Minnesota’s any worse. I think clearly they felt the need to have a point guard so that Edwards doesn’t handle the ball as much, and I agree with that line of thinking. I just don’t know how much LaMelo helps with that. They’ve migrated towards being more of an offensive team at times, and they were really selfish last year. I mean, they really played selfish. LaMelo won\u2019t. So that could help.\u201d<\/p>\n Ball wasn\u2019t the only notable addition of the Wolves\u2019 offseason, though. Jonathan Kuminga found himself stuck on the open market late in the offseason after failing to land the long-term deal he has long been seeking<\/a>. In late August, Kuminga turned down a more lucrative three-year offer from the Lakers to sign a two-year, $12.4 million deal with Minnesota, which gives him the ability to hit free agency again next summer.<\/p>\n Kuminga should start plenty of games at the four alongside Ball, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert. But just like the Ball addition, at least one NBA scout isn\u2019t sure it\u2019s enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see the Kuminga fit. He just shoots all the time,\u201d the scout told SI. \u201cI mean, what is he showing? When Golden State got Jimmy Butler, I was a high-end Kuminga guy, but I’m like, Oh, okay. You got Kuminga, you got Butler, you got Draymond Green. Those three guys are out there. You probably switch a ton, and they got great athleticism, and that can be really tough for teams. And then it wasn’t because Kuminga doesn’t play smart and he shoots all the time and couldn’t fit in. I don’t know, maybe if he’s going to change the core of his being, then yeah, he helps, but I don’t know. I don’t see it.\u201d<\/p>\n Offseason recapWho\u2019s in: LaMelo Ball, Jonathan Kuminga, Trey Lyles, Cody WilliamsWho\u2019s out: Kyle Anderson, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Julius Randle, Naz Reid<\/p>\n Julius Randle and his bully ball style wore out its welcome in Minnesota during the playoffs. While he was solid in the first-round series win against the Nuggets, he disappeared against San Antonio in the conference semifinals, averaging 12.8 points on 34.2% shooting from the field. As goes the Randle experience: when things are good, it\u2019s great, but if he\u2019s not on his game, it\u2019s an ugly watch.\u00a0<\/p>\n Connelly had seen enough. In June, he sent Randle to the Nets in a salary dump.<\/p>\n The Wolves also moved on from three culture-setting veterans in Kyle Anderson, Mike Conley and Joe Ingles. It\u2019s officially Ant\u2019s team now\u2014on and off the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n SI\u2019s prediction for the Timberwolves\u2019 2026-27 seasonRecord: 52\u201330 | Predicting the 2026\u201327 NBA Standings: Which Teams Will Rise, Fall and Surprise?<\/a><\/p>\n The Wolves have finished as a top-six seed in the West the past three years, and if everyone stays healthy, that shouldn\u2019t change. All three of Sports Illustrated\u2019s NBA writers predicted Minnesota will earn the No. 6 seed, at worst. Liam McKeone picked the Wolves to beat the Nuggets<\/a> in the first round\u2014yet again!\u2014and lose to the Spurs in the conference semifinals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like most other teams in the West, for the Wolves it\u2019s all about keeping up with the Spurs and Thunder. Nobody can, on paper at least. But the game of basketball is not played on paper. If Edwards can raise his game to an MVP level and Ball fits in seamlessly in Chris Finch\u2019s system, the Wolves certainly have a chance at a title.<\/p>\n PODCAST\u00a0\ud83c\udfa7: Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast,\u00a0Open Floor, below or on\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on\u00a0SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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