The Minnesota Timberwolves are heading into the 2026-27 season with grand designs.
The Timberwolves are coming off of three consecutive seasons of winning at least one playoff series. The franchise obviously wants more than this, as they are making clear with the moves made over this offseason.
A large part of going all-in is in working to keep franchise player Anthony Edwards happy. While the Georgia product hasn’t outwardly expressed discontent, the Timberwolves obviously prefer to work a step ahead of any future displeasure.
Timberwolves, Edwards Approaching Crucial Contract Negotiations
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report believes that Edwards and Minnesota will shelve contract talks until next offseason. This is more due to Edwards potentially becoming eligible for a four-year, $300 million contract if he is to make an All-NBA team in 2026-27.
While it is challenging to see Edwards turning down a deal of that magnitude, is the door open for a potential exit? Edwards is under contract with the Timberwolves for two more seasons beyond this one (Spotrac). A trade request has never been in sight, but stagnating would give a reason to make this a conversation.
This is exactly why the Timberwolves are going all-in on this moment, even with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder gracing the Western Conference.
Minnesota’s acquisition of LaMelo Ball is the catalyst that led to a massive summer. Ball, 24, is a metrics darling (Crafted NBA), already establishing himself as one of the best playmakers and volume shooters in the NBA. The formula of combining two high-volume three-point shooters in the backcourt is a nice contrast to the top competition in the conference.
Beyond this, the Timberwolves are bringing back Ayo Dosunmu as a sixth man. They are also integrating Jonathan Kuminga as a high-upside do-it-all wing to complete the starting lineup. This is all while keeping much of the defensive infrastructure in place around four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
Minnesota is making their strategy abundantly clear, and it should serve them well long-term. This coincides with another development that will potentially benefit them as well.
Could NBA Realignment Gift Minnesota Break?
The NBA Board of Governors voted to officially explore expanding the league to 32 teams back in March.
The target cities for expansion are west-coast stalwarts in Las Vegas and Seattle. The belief is that the franchises will be ready to play ahead of the 2028-29 season.
The insertion of two Western Conference teams necessitates one team to move to the Eastern Conference. The Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies are the real contenders to make the move.
Minnesota makes the most sense here, as they are the closest proximity to the teams in the Central Division. This is coincidentally in-line with the final year of Edwards’ contract with Minnesota. Would a move to the conference that may not have a perceived dominant team two years down the road change anything?
It’s possible, but only time will tell how Edwards’ time with the Timberwolves progresses.
Timberwolves Face Massive Anthony Edwards Decision to Keep Franchise Star Happy